C

M
PICREF-2
Intelligent Battery Charger Reference Design
INTRODUCTION
PICREF-2 OVERVIEW
Typically, simple battery chargers do not provide the

intelligence to charge different battery technologies or
batteries with the same technology but different voltages and capacities. At best, this may leave the battery
improperly charged. At worst, it can pose a serious
safety hazard. A microcontroller can provide the intelligence to overcome these problems.
The Microchip Technology PICREF-2 Intelligent Battery

Charger (IBC) Reference Design offers a ready-made
battery charger solution. This Reference Design is targeted to battery charger applications such as
camcorders, portable audio equipment, portable
phones, and portable power tools.
In addition to intelligent control, the microcontroller can

provide a low-cost, flexible solution for charging batteries. Complete battery charging applications may be
developed quickly using a microcontroller. Add to this
the serial communication capability of the microcontroller, real-time data logging and monitoring is possible.
Simple battery chargers use all analog components to
accomplish their function. However, by using a microcontroller, a battery charger can be made intelligent.
Microcontroller Benefits
Flexibility to handle different technologies, voltages and capacities.
Variable Voltage Generation Control
Charge/Discharge Multiple Battery Packs
Windowed A/D for High Resolution
With the PICREF-2 Reference Design, the user will be

able to simply pick their complete battery charging
system by completing the steps listed:
1.
2.
Pick the required battery management features

from the modular source code provided.
Pick the critical battery pack parameters and
modify the global constants to those specifications.
The hardware design contains the necessary circuitry

to support charging and discharging algorithms, charge
termination methods, and RS-232 communications.
The modular source code is written in C and consists of
the charge termination algorithms, discharge algorithm,
interdevice communications, and RS-232 communications modules.
The PC based software provides a means for
requesting and displaying battery status information.
PICREF-2 Key Features
Compatibility Across Battery Technologies

Low Cost
Flexible Development Environment
Fast Charge Rate
High Charge Current Capability
High Discharge Current Capability for Conditioning
Real-Time Debug
Data Logging
User Selectable Embedded Charge Termination
Algorithms
Information contained in this publication is intended through suggestion only and may be superseded by updates. No
representation or warranty is given and no liability is assumed by Microchip Technology Inc. with respect to the accuracy or use of such information, or infringement of patents arising from such use or otherwise. It is the responsibility of
each user to ensure that each Battery Charger is adequately designed, safe, and compatible with all conditions
encountered during its use. Typical parameters can and do vary in different applications. All operating parameters,
including Typicals, must be validated for each customer application by the customer's technical experts. Use of
Microchip's products as critical components in life support systems is not authorized except with express written
approval by Microchip. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights.
1997 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS30451C-page 1
PICREF-2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
System Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Hardware Overview .................................................................................................................................... 4
Firmware Overview................................................................................................................................... 10
Test Results - NiCd................................................................................................................................... 24
Test Results - NiMH .................................................................................................................................. 25
PICREF-2 to PC Software Overview........................................................................................................ 26
Design Background.................................................................................................................................. 32
Design Modifications................................................................................................................................ 35
Appendix A: System Specifications ....................................................................................................... 37
Appendix B: Minimum Charger Schematic ............................................................................................ 38
Appendix C: Full Charger Schematic ..................................................................................................... 39
Appendix D: Firmware Listing................................................................................................................. 42
Appendix E: PICREF-2 to PC Protocol ................................................................................................... 43
Appendix F: PCB Layout & Fab Drawing ............................................................................................... 55
Appendix G: Bill of Materials (BOM) ....................................................................................................... 56
Appendix H: Battery Charger Demonstration Unit ................................................................................ 59
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TRADEMARKS
Project Lead Engineer:

Robert Schreiber,
Microchip Technology, Inc.
Duracell is a registered trademark of Duracell.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
Yuasa is a trademark of Yuasa.
I2C is a trademark of Philips Corporation.
Reference Design Documentation:

Beth McLoughlin,
Microchip Technology, Inc.
System and Code Development:
TriSys Inc.,Consultants
DS30451C-page 2
PICREF-2
System Overview
Development Mode
The PICREF-2 system block diagram is shown in

Figure 1. This reference design can charge or discharge single or dual batteries of the same type.
The PIC16C7XX microcontroller contains the embedded charging algorithm and controls the external charging components and buck, or step-down, converter. To
develop the charging algorithms, the PICREF-2 has a
development mode. Once the algorithm has been
developed, the PICREF-2 may be placed in
stand-alone mode.
The voltage for battery charging is generated through a
buck converter, which is controlled by the PIC16C7XXs
Hardware PWM.
The PIC16C7XX controls battery charging and discharging through the Battery Charge Select and Battery Discharge Select lines. Battery Temperature and
Battery Voltage lines provide information for charge termination algorithm calculation and status. The Current
Sense line monitors the current being delivered to the
battery during charge for status information.
In order to develop the firmware for the PICREF-2 system, a development mode has been included.
This mode supports an RS-232 serial link to a PC for
battery status communication. The PIC16C73A also
contains the embedded charging algorithm and controls the external charging components and buck converter.
Development mode offers real-time debug of charge
termination algorithms. In this mode, charging parameters can be changed on the fly via the microcontroller
software and battery data can be logged.
Stand-Alone Mode
Once the correct charging algorithm has been developed and charge parameters have been determined,
the global constants can to be set for stand-alone
mode. There is no RS-232 communication or discharge
capacity in this mode.
The A/D functions are implemented using the on-board

A/D converter of the PIC16C7XX.
The electrical specifications for the system are listed in
Appendix A.
FIGURE 1:
PICREF-2 INTELLIGENT BATTERY CHARGER (IBC) BLOCK DIAGRAM

Voltage
Regulator
Buck
Converter
Filter
BATTERY 1
CHARGE/
DISCHARGE
DC In
PIC16C7XX
RC1
RS-232
RC6
RC7
RB0
Battery 1 Charge Select
Battery 1 Discharge
Battery 1
5V
RA1
LEDs
RB1
:
RB5
PushButtons
MCLR
RB1
:
RB4
Jumper
Selects
RB7
RA4
RA2
RA5
Battery 1 Temperature (A/D)
BATTERY 2
CHARGE/
DISCHARGE

RC5
RB6
Battery 2 Discharge Select
Battery 2
5V
RA3
RA0
Current Sense (A/D)
RA2
Battery 1 Voltage (A/D)
RA5
CURRENT/
VOLTAGE
SENSE
+
-
Current
Sense
Resistor
+
+
Voltage Reference
DS30451C-page 3
PICREF-2
Hardware Overview
Voltage Regulator
This section describes the PICREF-2 hardware and

how it functions in the Intelligent Battery Charger (IBC)
system. Hardware detail (schematics) may be found in
Appendix C.
The input voltage (+V_FUSED) is used by the voltage

regulator to generate the +5 VDC needed by the board.
The voltage regulator LT1118CS8-5 (U10) may be
replaced by U14 (NJM7805).
Note:
Microcontroller
The PIC16C7XX microcontroller gives the PICREF-2
reference design flexibility. Changes can be made
using software instead of hardware, and charging algorithms can be easily customized to accommodate the
users specific battery packs.
U10 and U14 are +5V regulators. U14 may

be populated in place of U10 at the
designers option.
Buck (Step-Down) Converter
The ability to charge and discharge either a single battery or two batteries of the same type means greater
flexibility.
The most critical parameter in charging batteries is the

control of the power source. Whether current or voltage
charging is being used (PICREF-2 uses a constant current method), control of the power source is imperative
to proper battery charging.
PWM control of voltage generation (via the buck converter) and A/D monitoring of the voltage means precise control over the voltage used for charging
batteries.
The power source for this design is a buck converter. A

buck converter was chosen because of its simplicity,
efficiency and low heat dissipation. A simplified diagram of the converter circuit is shown in Figure 4.
Development mode uses the PIC16C73A microcontroller (Figure 2), which provides more memory and a
USART (RS-232) communications port for development of firmware. Stand-alone mode uses the
PIC16C72 (Figure 3). The PIC16C72 or the
PIC16C73A can be inserted in either 28-pin socket
(U17 or U19).
FIGURE 4:
FIGURE 2:
SIMPLIFIED BUCK
CONVERTER
Vi
PWM
L
Vo
PIC16C73A PINOUT
Co
SDIP, SOIC, Windowed Side Brazed Ceramic

28
RB7
27
RB6
RA1/AN1
26
RB5
25
RB4
24
RB3
23
RB2
22
21
RB1
RB0/INT
20
VDD
19
VSS
RA2/AN2
RA3/AN3/VREF
RA4/T0CKI
RA5/AN4/SS
VSS
7
8
OSC1/CLKIN
PIC16C73A
RA0/AN0
MCLR/VPP
OSC2/CLKOUT
10
RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI
11
18
RC7/RX/DT
RC1/T1OSI/CCP2
12
17
RC6/TX/CK
RC2/CCP1
13
16
RC5/SDO
RC3/SCK/SCL
14
15
RC4/SDI/SDA
FIGURE 3:
PIC16C72 PINOUT
SDIP, SOIC, Windowed Side Brazed Ceramic

28
RB7
27
RB6
RA1/AN1
26
RB5
RA2/AN2
25
RB4
RA3/AN3/VREF
24
RB3
RA4/T0CKI
23
RB2
RA5/AN4/SS
VSS
7
8
22
21
RB1
RB0/INT
OSC1/CLKIN
PIC16C72
RA0/AN0
MCLR/VPP
20
VDD
OSC2/CLKOUT
10
19
VSS
RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI
11
18
RC7
RC1/T1OSI
12
17
RC6
RC2/CCP1
13
16
RC5/SDO
RC3/SCK/SCL
14
15
RC4/SDI/SDA
DS30451C-page 4
Where:
PWM
Vi
Vo
D
Co
L
= Input PWM from microcontroller

= Input voltage
= Output voltage
= Schottky Diode
= Output capacitor
= Inductor
Buck Converter Basics

The PIC16C7XX microcontroller controls the buck converter through the use of a hardware PWM module and
an external current sense resistor. The hardware PWM
and current sense resistor feedback are significant in
providing an accurate and repeatable charge methodology.
The buck converter operates as follows. When the
PWM output is high, the current passes through the
transistor and inductor to the battery. During this state,
the inductor is energized and the capacitor is charged.
When the PWM output is low, the inductor voltage
reverses, and the current is provided through the diode.
The inductor and capacitor act as a filter for the output
voltage and current.
PICREF-2
There are two modes in which a buck converter can
operate: (1) continuous, where the current is flowing
continuously, or (2) discontinuous, where the current
drops to zero for a period of time. For heavy current
loads, the converter would be in continuous mode.
Under light load conditions, however, the buck converter current may fall to zero for a period of time.
For VD, Vi, Vsat, and T constant, increasing or

decreasing ton will increase or decrease the output voltage, Vo. Therefore, for different battery technologies
requiring different charging voltages, Vo may be varied
by varying ton.
The converter in this reference design is controlled

such that it always operates in continuous mode. Thus,
it produces the sawtooth waveform shown in Figure 5.
The use of a fast recovery or Schottky diode is recommended for diode D. Either diode provides the necessary forward voltage and switching speed required. A
fast recovery diode is used in the PICREF-2. A Schottky may be used if lower forward voltage is required.
FIGURE 5:
The output capacitance is chosen such that:
BUCK CONVERTER OUTPUT

CURRENT
Inductor
Current
Diode
Current
ton
T
For a given input voltage and output voltage, the

peak-to-peak amplitude of this inductor current waveform remains constant. As the load current rises or falls,
the entire sawtooth current waveform also rises or falls.
The average DC value of this waveform is equal to the
DC load current.
Buck Converter Detail

The microcontroller PWM output will look like Figure 6.
PWM OUTPUT
ton
T
The relationship between PWM output and the output

voltage is:
ton/T = (Vo + VD) / (Vi - Vsat + VD)
(2)
where:
Ripple
FIGURE 6:
Co IpkT / 8Vripple
Ipk
= 2 IoMAX
IoMAX
= Maximum output current
= PWM period
Vripple
= Output voltage ripple
To minimize ripple, choose a large value, low ESR

(equivalent series resistance) capacitor for Co.
The buck converter inductor value is determined by:
L = (Vi - Vsat - Vo)ton / Ipk
(3)
where:
Vi
Vo
Vsat
Ipk
IoMAX
ton
= Input voltage
= Output voltage
= Saturation voltage of transistor
= 2 IoMAX
= Maximum output current
= On time of PWM
From this equation, a relationship between PWM (ton)

and inductor value (L) can be seen. A minimum inductor value (LMIN) may be calculated from tonMAX. The
disadvantage of this is that the PWM resolution is
reduced as the frequency is increased. However,
reducing the inductor size reduces the overall buck converter size and price.
(1)
where:
ton
T
Vi
Vo
Vsat
VD
= On time of PWM
= PWM period
= Input voltage
= Output voltage
= Saturation voltage of transistor
= Diode forward-bias voltage drop
This equation is valid for 0 < ton < T. Since the equation
was derived assuming current flow in the inductor, the
special cases of ton = 0 (transistor switch off for T) and
ton = T (transistor switch on for T) are not valid for this
equation.
DS30451C-page 5
PICREF-2
EXAMPLE 1: CALCULATING THE INDUCTOR
VALUE
Using Equation (3), calculate the inductor (L) value for:
Vi
= 13.6V
The microcontroller also monitors the current source

(when charging through an I/O line) and a current
sense resistor to provide constant current to the battery.
Vsat = 0.2V
Vo = 7.2V
Ipk
The PIC16C7XX powers up in an idle state. If a battery

discharge is requested, a discharge cycle is started followed by a complete charging cycle.
= 2A
PWM on time (ton), is calculated as:
The microcontroller displays the status of the battery on

the LEDs (see LEDs). The LEDs display the charging
status (CHRG or DISCHRG) and faulty cell detection
(ERROR). These LEDs are driven directly from the
microcontroller I/O lines. For more information on the
LEDs.
Processor clock (fosc) = 4 MHz

Duty Cycle = 50%
PWM Resolution = full 8 bits
So; T = Tosc * 255 = 63.75 ms
And; ton = 31.87 5ms
Note:
Finally; L = 98.8 mH
If a 7 bit resolution PWM is acceptable, then:
T
= Tosc * 127 = 31.75 ms
Voltage Sense
ton = 15.875 ms
L
= 49.2 mH
Note:
U1, U2, and U3 are p-channel FETs for the

buck converter. U1 or U3 may be populated
in place of U2 at the designers option. L2
may be populated in place of L1 at the
designers option.
Filter - Optional
The filter circuit is intended to provide additional ripple
suppression at the buck converter output stage
(Figure 7).
The filtering circuit is bypassed by connecting JMPR1-1
to JMPR1-2 (see JUMPERS). To enable the filter circuit, connect JMPR2-1 to JMPR2-2 and JMPR3-1 to
JMPR3-2.
Note:
L3, C3, and C4 provide additional ripple filtering on the output of the buck converter.
They may be populated at the designers
option.
FIGURE 7:
FILTER
L3
Vo
Vi
C3
U4, U6, U7, and U8 are p-channel FETs

used to select the battery to be charged.
U4 and U8 may be populated at the
designers option.
C4
The PIC16C7XX performs battery voltage readings

during the rest period of the charge cycle. This is
accomplished by reading the battery voltage when the
PWM is low. Reading the battery voltage during the
active period of the charge cycle (PWM is high) will
result in erroneous operation.
The A/D converter uses a windowing technique to
determine the charge termination values. The windowing feature gives you higher resolution over the standard 0V to 5.0V A/D converter range.
For example, the cell voltage for a NiCd battery typically
ranges from 0.8V to 1.6V per cell. If you were monitoring a four-cell pack, the voltage range for the pack could
be 3.2V to 6.4V. This would exceed the 5V limit on the
A/D converter. If you divide the voltage before the A/D
converter input, you would actually lose resolution.
The windowing feature subtracts an offset from the
battery voltage and amplifies the difference to actually
give higher resolution. The difference voltage is gained
by a factor of 3.33 so that the voltage range decreases
by this factor (and the resolution increases by this factor). The standard 5V A/D range gives a resolution of
(5.0V/ 256) = 19.5 mV/bit. With the gain factor of 3.33,
the 5.0V range decreases to (5.0/3.33) = 1.50V (i.e., a
1.5V difference will be amplified to 5.0V at the A/D converter input). Therefore the resolution becomes (1.50 V/
256) = 5.86 mV/bit.
FIGURE 8:
A/D - WINDOWED
3.33R
Battery 1 and Battery 2 Charge/Discharge

The PIC16C7XX microcontroller Battery Select I/O line
uses a transistor to select a battery for charging. The
Discharge Battery Select I/O line drives a transistor to
ground to fully discharge the battery. This feature can
erase the voltage depression or memory effect (see
Design Background).
DS30451C-page 6
R
4.8V
+
4.0V
8-bit A/D
with
5.86 mV/bit
resolution
PICREF-2
The offset can be adjusted by writing to the digital
potentiometer so the microcontroller can seek out any
battery voltage ranging from 0V to 15.0V. The jumper
settings for operation in windowed mode are:
FIGURE 9:
TEMPERATURE SENSE
CIRCUIT
+5V
JMPR9-1 to JMPR10-1 (Battery 1)

10k
To A/D
mC
If the battery voltage is known, the digital potentiometer

can be replaced by a fixed voltage reference and still
maintain the 5.86 mV/bit resolution. The jumper settings for operation in fixed mode are:
In addition, the windowing and fixed circuit can be
bypassed and the direct battery voltage can be read if
lower resolution is needed. The jumper settings for
direct mode are:
Note:
D3, D4, R17, and R24 provide the voltage

reference for fixed mode. In this mode,
U13 may be removed.
Note:
The battery voltage is divided by resistors

R5, R9, R10, and R14. If a smaller dynamic
range that 0V to 15V is required, these
resistor values can be changed to increase
direct mode resolution.
Current Sense
The PIC16C7XX performs battery current readings
during the rest period of the charge cycle. This is
accomplished by reading the battery current when the
PWM is low. Reading the battery current during the
active period of the charge cycle (PWM is high) will
result in erroneous operation.
The current sense circuitry works by amplifying and
converting the current through a 0.05 ohm resistor into
a voltage. The maximum current reading with a 0.05
ohm resistor and an amplifier gain of 40 is 2.5A (2.5A x
40 x 0.05 ohms = 5.00V). This translates into a 9.77
mA/bit resolution (2.5A / 256 bits). The current sense
resistor is user replaceable.
Note:
The current sense resistor in H2 may be

replaced at the designers option to give
either more range or more resolution.
Temperature Sense
The temperature sense is accomplished through a 10k
pull-up resistor ( ). The voltage read corresponds to the
thermistor's value in relation to its 25C value. This
means that at 25C the converted voltage would be
2.5V. The converted voltage decreases as the temperature increases and the thermistor value decreases.
RT (10k at 25C)
A simple lookup table in the software provides the corresponding temperature for the converted voltage. The
temperature sense resistors are selectable.
Note:
The temperature sense resistors in H1 may

be replaced at the designers option based
on the designers battery pack thermistor
value.
The temperature reading is done during the OFF period

of the buck converter.
Battery Pack
The battery pack provided is comprised of the
KR-1100AEL NiCd Fast Charge Battery Cell. It can be
standard-charged at a 110 mA rate or fast-charged at
up to a 1600 mA rate. The temperature range for charging (either standard or fast) is 0C to 45C. For discharge, the temperature range is -20C to 60C.
Note:
Refer to the manufacturers specifications

before charging any battery pack.
Note:
Improper disposal of NiCd batteries poses

an environmental hazard. Contact a local
battery collection center for recycling information.
LEDs
LEDs are provided to indicate the status of the IBC
(Table 1). LED locations on the PICREF-2 are shown in
Figure 11 (D5 through D10).
TABLE 1: LED INDICATORS

LED
Steady On
Flashing
BATTERY 1
CHRG (D5)
Battery 1 charging
trickle
charge
BATTERY 1
DISCHRG (D6)
Battery 1
discharging
N/A
BATTERY 2
CHRG (D7)
Battery 2 charging
trickle
charge
BATTERY 2
DISCHRG (D8)
Battery 2
discharging
N/A
ERROR (D9)
Battery error
detected
N/A
POWER (D10)
Power on
N/A
DS30451C-page 7
PICREF-2
Pushbuttons
Jumpers
Pushbutton switches may be used to select different

PICREF-2 modes (Table 2). Pushbutton locations on
the PICREF-2 are shown in Figure 11 (SW1 through
SW5).
Jumpers may be used to select different options for

PICREF-2 operation (Table 3). Jumper connection conditions are shown in Figure 10. Jumper locations on the
PICREF-2 are shown in Figure 11 (JMPR1 through
JMPR14).
TABLE 2: PUSHBUTTON SELECTS
FIGURE 10:
PushButton
Function
SW1
Reset
SW2
Battery 1 Charge
SW3
Battery 1 Discharge
SW4
Battery 2 Charge
SW5
Battery 2 Discharge
JUMPER CONNECTION
CONDITIONS
PIN 1 PIN 2
JMPRX open
JMPRX closed
JMPRX-1 to JMPRY-1
TABLE 3: JUMPER SELECTS

Function
Jumpers
Bypass of filter after buck converter (default)
JMPR1 closed
JMPR2 and JUMPR3 open
Add filter after buck converter
JMPR1 open
JMPR2 and JMPR3 closed
Access to Ground (GND)
JMPR4
Stand-Alone Mode
JMPR5 closed
JMPR6 open
Development Mode (Handshake)
JMPR5 open
JMPR6 open
Voltage Sense Windowed Mode

Voltage Sense Fixed Mode

Voltage Sense Direct Mode

DS30451C-page 8
PICREF-2
FIGURE 11:
LED, PUSHBUTTON AND JUMPER LOCATIONS

PIN 1 PIN 2
Legend
LED
Pushbutton
Jumper
DS30451C-page 9
PICREF-2
Firmware Overview
The current charge termination flow diagram is shown

in Figure 12.
The source code for the PICREF-2 microcontroller was

designed to be modular.
A discussion of charge termination types and the battery technologies that use them may be found in the
section Design Background.
In general, the PICREF-2 software has the following

features:
Future revisions of this reference design will include:
Algorithms to support NiCd battery technology

- Negative Delta V (-DV) Charge Termination
- Zero Delta V (Zero DV) Charge Termination
- Absolute Voltage Termination
- Delta T / Delta t (DT/Dt) Charge Termination
PWM-Controlled Discharge Profile
Add Li-Ion
Additional Charge Termination Algorithms
Algorithms
The equations in Table 4 were used to translate battery
physical quantities into data.
TABLE 4: EQUATIONS USED FOR CHARGE TERMINATION CALCULATION

Fast Charge Term.
Equations
-DV
Zero
DV
Battery Voltage in volts =

Battery Voltage * Scale Factor
Abs V
Fail-Safe Charge Term.

DT
Dt
timed
- temp
- V
Battery Temperature in C =
Battery Temperature (signed, 1C/bit)
Battery Charge Current in x10 mA =

Battery Charge Current
Battery Scale Factor =
Battery Scale Factor
x
x
Max Battery Voltage in volts =

Max Battery Voltage * Scale Factor
Min Battery Voltage in volts =

Min Battery Voltage * Scale Factor
Measured -DV in mV per minute =

Measured -DV * Scale Factor (signed)
Measured DT/Dt rate in C per minute =
Measured DT/Dt * Scale Factor (unsigned)
Measured Time per second =
[MSB * 256] + LSB
DS30451C-page 10
trickle
x
x
x
PICREF-2
FIGURE 12:
CHARGE TERMINATION FLOW DIAGRAM
Start Fast Charge
Cell Voltage Within

Charging Limits?
No
Yes
Cell Temperature
Within Charging
Limits?
No
Yes
Settling Time Charge
Cell Voltage Within

Charging Limits?
No
Yes
Cell Voltage Error?
Yes
No
Charge
Cell Temperature Error?
Yes
No
Time-Out Error?
Yes
No
No
Charge Complete?
Yes
End Fast Charge
Terminate Charge Error
DS30451C-page 11
PICREF-2
Program Flow
The flow of MAIN.C is shown in Figure 13. The main
program starts by initializing the hardware for battery
charger operation. The program then performs an endless loop of checking for communications, sensing battery parameters, performing control functions, and
checking for the TIC counter.
The flow of INIT.C is shown in Figure 14. The function
initializes peripheral features and RAM variables. The
following peripherals are initialized: Timer1, CCP1
(PWM), and A/D converter.
Timer1 is used for the TIC counter. It is initialized so that
an interrupt is generated every 0.1 seconds. This is
used as the frame clock for the battery charger algorithms.
The PWM function is initialized for 25 kHz operation.
The peripheral is enabled and set for 0% duty cycle.
The A/D converter is initialized for conversion clock frequency and is enabled for operation.
In addition to peripherals, the I/O ports are configured
for pushbutton, LED, and serial communications. The
RAM locations are cleared and initialized to support
charger operation. If DEVELOPMENT mode is
selected, I2C and RS-232 communications are initialized.
battery is in trickle charge state and both batteries are

selected, then the trickle charging is swapped every
loop execution.
The flow of CONTROL.C is shown in Figure 19. If a new
command has been received, then the appropriate
states are set. The states are executed in the following
sequence:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Discharge Battery 1
(DEVELOPMENT mode only)
Discharge Battery 2
(DEVELOPMENT mode only)
Fast Charge Battery 1
Fast Charge Battery 2
Trickle Charge Battery 1
Trickle Charge Battery 2
Repeat Selected States
Idle
If a state is not selected then its operation is not executed and the function advances to the next state. Each
state must complete execution before the next state
commences.
The flow of COMMAND.C is shown in Figure 15. In

STAND_ALONE mode the switch inputs are read and
debounced on the TIC count (0.1 seconds). If SW2 is
detected as being pressed, the battery 1 charge state
is selected. If SW4 is detected as being pressed, battery 2 charge state is selected. If both switches were
detected, battery 1 will charge completely, then battery
2 will charge. After charge completion for both batteries, both batteries will be simultaneously trickle
charged.
In DEVELOPMENT mode, the data received from the
PC is interpreted and converted to battery control
states. This enables the selected feature to be executed. The received character is echoed back to the PC
for verification by the PC-based software.
The flow of SENSE.C is shown in Figure 16. If the TIC
counter has counted to 1.0 seconds, then the sense
features are executed. When the PWM goes LOW it is
disabled, and the current, voltage, and temperature are
monitored (Figure 17). The PWM is then re-enabled.
The TIC counter and PWM control counter are updated.
If the initialization time has completed, the termination
check is done based on the selected charge termination algorithm. Also, if the initialization stage is complete, the fail safe limits are checked (Figure 18). If any
fail safe limit has been exceeded, then all charging is
terminated. If the PWM control is activated and the initialization is done, then the charge algorithm is performed. The charge algorithm can be either the fast
charge algorithm or the trickle charge algorithm. If the
DS30451C-page 12
PICREF-2
FIGURE 13:
MAIN.C
Start
Initialize
Communicate
Sense
Control
Timer1
Overflow?
No
Yes
Reset Timer1
DS30451C-page 13
PICREF-2
FIGURE 14:
INIT.C
Start
Init Timer1
(TIC Counter)
Init PWM
(Buck Converter)
Init I/O Ports
Init A/D
Converter
Clear RAM
Init Variables
Return
DS30451C-page 14
PICREF-2
FIGURE 15:
COMMAND.C
Start
Read Switch Input
SW2
Pressed
(B1 Charge)
No
Yes
Enable B1 Charge
No
SW4
Pressed
(B2 Charge)
Yes
Enable B2 Charge
Return
DS30451C-page 15
PICREF-2
FIGURE 16:
SENSE.C
Start
No
TIC Counter =
1.0 sec?
Return
Yes
IVT_SENSE
No
Terminate Flag = TRUE?
Yes
Terminate Charge
No
Sensor Initialization
Complete?
Yes
FAIL_SAFE
Continued
DS30451C-page 16
PICREF-2
FIGURE 16:
SENSE.C (CONT)
Continued
No
Sensor Init Complete
and PWM Control =
TRUE?
Yes
Charge
State
Active?
No
Yes
Perform Charge
No
Trickle Charge State
Selected?
Yes
Swap Batteries
Return
DS30451C-page 17
PICREF-2
FIGURE 17:
INT_SENSE
Start
No
PWM = LOW?
Yes
Disable PWM
Read Battery I,V, and T
Update TIC Counter
Update PWM
Control Counter
Return
DS30451C-page 18
PICREF-2
FIGURE 18:
FAIL_SAFE
Start
No
Fast Charge?
Yes
No
I,V,T Error?
Yes
Terminate to Idle and

Reset Variables
No
Trickle Charge?
Yes
No
I,V Error?
Yes
Disable Trickle Charge
(Can Recover)
Return
DS30451C-page 19
PICREF-2
FIGURE 19:
CONTROL.C
No
New Command?
Yes
Set States
No
State Selected?
Yes
Yes
State Enabled?
No
Enable State
No
State Complete?
Yes
Advance State
Return
DS30451C-page 20
PICREF-2
User Customization
In order to select between DEVELOPMENT mode and
STAND_ALONE mode, the following modifications
must be made:
Development Mode
Stand-alone Mode
Development Mode
DEVELOPMENT Mode uses the PIC16C73A in conjunction with the PC-Based Development software for
selecting battery charge/discharge parameters. The
description below defines how DEVELOPMENT mode
is enabled and may be customized by the user.
1)
MAIN.C
Comment out the #define STAND_ALONE line in

MAIN.C. This define is used by BATTERY.H to include
the appropriate files, functions and variables.
Example:
//#define STAND_ALONE
The user must update the check_temp() lookup table

to match their thermistor's Resistance-Temperature
(RT) tables.
The V_SENSE() algorithm performs differently from
STAND_ALONE mode although the resolution is the
same. The windowing feature is used in
DEVELOPMENT mode which gives 5.85 mV/bit resolution. Therefore a 16-bit variable is used for the voltage
readings in DEVELOPMENT mode. This is converted
to the 58.5 mV/bit resolution variable used for charge
monitoring and termination decisions. So the decision
tree is the same for both modes.
If the system frequency is changed, the serial communications must be updated appropriately.
Stand-Alone Mode
STAND_ALONE Mode uses the PIC16C72 in conjunction with the defined battery parameters to charge the
selected battery packs. The description below defines
how STAND_ALONE mode is enabled and may be customized by the user.
1)
2)
BATTERY.H
No changes are needed. Based on DEVELOPMENT

mode being defined, the battery parameters are placed
in RAM so that they may be modified by the PC-based
software. Also, RAM variables for serial communications are defined in this mode.
The duty cycle of the PWM is limited by the constant
FST_CHARGER_MAX to 85%. If a higher duty cycle is
needed, this constant may be modified.
3)
INIT.C
No changes are needed.

4)
COMMAND.C
No changes are needed. Based on DEVELOPMENT

mode being defined, the new commands are received
via the RS-232 serial link, parsed, and executed.
5)
SENSE.C

6)
CONTROL.C

7)
LIBRARY.C
The user must update TERMINATE() Delta V to

match their Zero DV time-out and voltage drop threshold. The algorithm times out if a voltage change is not
detected within 255 seconds when Zero DV is selected.
Also, if the voltage drop during Zero DV is greater than
47 mV, then the algorithm terminates.
The user must update FAST_CHARGE(). The charge
current is limited to 1100 mA in DEVELOPMENT mode.
If a higher charge rate is desired, this limitation can be
removed.
MAIN.C
Do not comment out the #define STAND_ALONE

line in MAIN.C. This define is used by BATTERY.H to
include the appropriate files, functions, and variables.
Example:
#define STAND_ALONE
2)
BATTERY.H
The battery definition must be modified for the user's

battery pack. The parameters that are used in RAM in
DEVELOPMENT mode are moved to ROM for
STAND_ALONE mode. So, the algorithm performs
charge termination based on these definitions. The
code example (Example 1) is an excerpt from the
BATTERY.H file and includes the battery definition for a
Sanyo KR1100-AEL NiCd 4-cell battery.
The duty cycle of the PWM is limited by the constant
FST_CHARGER_MAX to 85%. If a higher duty cycle is
needed, this constant may be modified.
3)
INIT.C

4)
COMMAND.C
No changes are needed. Based on STAND_ALONE

mode being defined, the switch inputs for charge are
read and executed. Only battery charge features are
supported. If both switches are pressed, then charging
is done on both batteries as defined by the state
machine (CONTROL.C). The switch inputs are
debounced on the TIC clock (0.1 seconds).
5)
SENSE.C

6)
CONTROL.C
No changes are needed. Discharge features are disabled in STAND_ALONE mode.
DS30451C-page 21
PICREF-2
7)
LIBRARY.C
The user must update TERMINATE() Delta V to

match their Zero DV time-out and voltage drop threshold. The algorithm times out if a voltage change is not
detected within 255 seconds when Zero DV is selected.
Also, if the voltage drop during Zero DV is greater than
47 mV, then the algorithm terminates.
The user must update the check_temp() lookup table
to match their thermistor's Resistance-Temperature
(RT) tables.
The V_SENSE() algorithm performs differently from

DEVELOPMENT mode although the resolution is the
same. The direct sense feature is used in
STAND_ALONE mode which gives 58.5 mV/bit resolution. This resolution can be increased through hardware modifications. Therefore, an 8-bit variable is used
for the voltage readings in STAND_ALONE mode. However, the decision tree is the same for both modes.
EXAMPLE 1: STAND-ALONE BATTERY DEFINITIONS

/***********************************************************************
BATTERY DEFINITION FOR STANDALONE MODE
***********************************************************************/
// The following are the definitions for the supplied NiCd battery
// pack.
//
// Battery Charge Temperature 0 to 45 deg C
// Battery Charge Hi Voltage (1.63V per cell) = 6.52V
// Battery Charge Lo Voltage (0.90V per cell) = 3.60V
// Battery Charge Time Limit 60 minutes = 3600 sec
// Battery Fast Charge Rate 1.10A
// Battery Trickle Charge Rate 0.01A
// Battery -dV/dt Threshold (0.03V per cell) = 0.12V
// Battery dT/dt Threshold (2 deg C per minute)
// Battery Discharge Voltage (1.0V per cell) = 4.00V
#define B1_SYSTEM_STATUS 0x60
// Battery 1 Setup: Charge Once, NiCD
#define B2_SYSTEM_STATUS 0xA0
// Battery 2 Setup: Charge Once, NiCD
//#define B1_CHARGE_STATUS 0x70
// Battery 1 Setup: Fast Charge, Abs Voltage Termination
// Battery 1 Setup: Fast Charge, Delta T/Delta t Termination
#define B1_CHARGE_STATUS 0x50
// Battery 1 Setup: Fast Charge, Delta V Termination
// Battery 2 Setup: Fast Charge, Abs Voltage Termination
// Battery 2 Setup: Fast Charge, Delta T/Delta t Termination
#define B2_CHARGE_STATUS 0x50
// Battery 2 Setup: Fast Charge, Delta V Termination
#define FAIL_SAFE_FC_TEMP_LO 0x00
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit signed, 0.5 C per bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_FC_TEMP_HI 0x5A
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit signed, 0.5 C per bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_FC_VOLT_HI 0x70
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit unsigned, 58.5 mV/bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_FC_VOLT_LO 0x3D
DS30451C-page 22
PICREF-2
#define FAIL_SAFE_TC_TEMP_LO 0x00
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit signed, 0.5 C/bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_TC_TEMP_HI 0x5A
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit signed, 0.5 C/bit
#define TERMINATE_ABS_VOLT_HI 0x70
#define FAIL_SAFE_FC_TIME_OUT 0x0E10
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 16-bit unsigned, 1 second/bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_FC_AMP_HI 0x6E
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit unsigned, 10 mA/bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_TC_AMP_HI 0x01
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit unsigned, 10 mA/bit
#define FAIL_SAFE_DC_VOLT_LO 0x44
#define TERMINATE_DV_THRESHOLD 0x9C
#define TERMINATE_DT_THRESHOLD 0x02
// STAND_ALONE MODE: 8-bit unsigned, 0.5 C/minute
DS30451C-page 23
PICREF-2
Test Results - NiCd
Six (6) battery packs of the four-cell Sanyo
KR1100-AEL battery packs were tested for changes in
battery pack capacity for the charge termination algorithms listed in Table 5 and Table 6. The results show
that there was a very high degree of correlation based
on the charge termination algorithm chosen (i.e., the
behavior of battery packs for Negative Delta Voltage
terminations was nearly identical).
The batteries were cycled through harsh usage conditions of consecutive 1C charge and 0.8C discharge terminations (For a definition of C, see Design
Background - Battery Packs - Charge Rate). After this,
the battery was fully recharged, and the battery capacity was measured using a constant 0.8C load. The discharge was terminated after the reaching the knee of
the battery voltage curve (approximately 1.0 volt per
cell). The capacity measurement was determined by

multiplying the load current by the amount of time
before reaching the battery voltage curve knee
(Figure 20).
As seen in the tables, after 200 cycles, the tested battery packs maintained over 90% capacity. The manufacturers test data was under less strenuous conditions
(0.1C charge and 0.7C discharge) and showed battery
capacity of > 90% through 200 cycles of testing.
This data is for informational reference only. Differences in battery pack construction, battery cells, thermistor characteristics, thermistor placement, battery
usage, and ambient conditions all affect battery performance.
TABLE 5: NEGATIVE DELTA VOLTAGE TERMINATION (100 mV)

Charge/Discharge Cycles
Original Capacity
Final Measured Capacity
Percent of Original Capacity
200
1100 mAh
1070 mAh
97%
TABLE 6: DELTA T / DELTA t TERMINATION (1 DEG C/MIN)

Original Capacity
200
1100 mAh
1020 mAh
93%
FIGURE 20:
BATTERY CHARGING GRAPH
Temperature
Voltage
Current
DS30451C-page 24
PICREF-2
Test Results - NiMH
Two Duracell battery packs (DR-15 and DR-35) were
tested for changes in battery pack capacity for the -DV
charge algorithm. The results show that there was a
very high degree of correlation based on this charge
termination method.
cell). The capacity measurement was determined by

multiplying the load current by the amount of time
before reaching the battery voltage curve knee.
The DR-15 was cycled through consecutive 0.8C

charge and 0.6C discharge terminations. After which,
the battery was fully recharged and the battery capacity
was measured using a constant 0.5C load. The discharge was terminated after the reaching the knee of
the battery voltage curve (approximately 1.0 volt per
This data is for informational reference only. Differences in battery pack construction, battery cells, thermistor characteristics, thermistor placement, battery
usage, and ambient conditions all affect battery performance.
As seen in Table 7 and Table 8, after 100 cycles, the

tested battery packs maintained over 92% capacity.
TABLE 7: DR-15 NEGATIVE DELTA VOLTAGE TERMINATION (100 mV)

Original Capacity
100
1420 mAh
1340 mAh
94%
TABLE 8: DR-35 NEGATIVE DELTA VOLTAGE TERMINATION (100 mV)

Original Capacity
100
2200 mAh
2020 mAh
92%
FIGURE 21:
BATTERY CHARGING GRAPH
Temperature
Voltage
Current
DS30451C-page 25
PICREF-2
PICREF-2 to PC Software Overview
Development mode provides a means for the
PICREF-2 to talk to the PC via RS-232 communications. This provides for real-time battery monitoring and
battery data logging.
The PICREF-2 to PC software is a Windows-based
application called Charger that allows for easy programming of the PIC16C73A microcontroller and monitoring of the IBC operation.
System Requirements
To use the Charger application, you will need:
A PC with a 386 processor (or higher) running in
386 enhanced mode
A hard disk with 4 Mbyte of free space
A mouse or other pointing device
An EGA, VGA or other compatible display
8 Mbyte RAM
One free serial (COM) port
Microsoft Windows 3.1 (or higher)
Installing Charger
To install the application:
Start Windows
Insert the Charger disk in a 3 1/2 disk drive
(ex: A).
In the Windows 3.1 Program Manager, choose
Run from the File menu. In Windows 95, click on
the Start Button and select Run from the
drop-down menu.
Type a:\setup in the Command Line box (Where a:
is the disk drive letter).
Choose OK.
Follow the setup instructions.
When the setup is complete, you should have a
Charger program group as shown in Figure 22.
FIGURE 22:
CHARGER ICONS
System Setup
Connect power to the PICREF-2. Then, connect the
PICREF-2 to the free COM port on the PC, with a serial
cable. The firmware in the PIC16C73 microcontroller
will automatically establish communications with the
PC.
Starting Charger
To start the Charger application for Windows 3.1, simply double click on the application icon in the Charger
program group. For Windows 95, click on the Start button, select Programs, then the Charger program group,
and finally the Charger application (charger.exe). The
Charger window is shown in Figure 23.
FIGURE 23:
CHARGER WINDOW
print
open
stop charging (red icon)
configure
start charging (green icon)
single line help
DS30451C-page 26
PICREF-2
Setting up Charger
To set up the Charger application, select the Options
command under the File menu to open the Battery
Charger Setup Options window, as in Figure 24.
FIGURE 24:
BATTERY CHARGER SETUP

OPTIONS
be changed by deleting the default value and entering

a value from 1 second to 60,000 seconds (1000 minutes or almost 17 hrs).
When the charger is set up, accept all input by clicking
on the Accept button.
Charger Configuration
When the charger is setup for the first time, it will automatically start the Battery Configuration window
(Figure 25) after setup. To open this window at another
time, select the Charger Configure... command from
the Charger menu or click on the configure button.
Battery configuration parameters and their value
ranges are as follows.
Fail Safe Limits

A communications port is chosen and displayed
(ex: COM2). If you want to use a different com port,
select one from the pull-down menu.
If the PC is not connected properly to the PICREF-2, an
error message will appear. Exit from the Charger application and check the PC to PICREF-2 connections and
power to PICREF-2. Then restart the Charger and
attempt to set the Communications Port again.
Display Update Time (in seconds) is the rate at which
battery charging data will be displayed when graphed to
the screen. A default time will be entered. This time may
FIGURE 25:
Charge Voltage Limit (V):

Maximum values: 0V to 15V,
Minimum values: 0V to 15V.
Fast Charge Temp Limit (C):
Maximum values: 0C to 60C,
Minimum values: -20C to 0C.
Trickle Charge Temp Limit (C):
Maximum values: 0C to 60C,
Minimum values: -20C to 0C.
Charge Time-out (Min):
Values: 0 minutes to 541 minutes (over 9 hrs).
BATTERY CONFIGURATION
DS30451C-page 27
PICREF-2
Primary Charge Termination Limits
Max Absolute Voltage (V):
Values: 0V to 15V.
DV (Negative or Zero) Threshold (mV):
Values: 0 mV to 1500 mV.
DT/Dt Threshold (Deg C/Min):
Values: 0C/Min to 5C/Min.
Discharge Termination Limits

Discharge Voltage (V):
Values: 0V to 15V.
Battery Type
Pb-Acid with Temp

Pb-Acid without Temp
NiCd
NiMH
Li-Ion (not available)
Charge Algorithm
Fast Charge
Trickle Charge
Termination Algorithm
DV (Negative or Zero)
DT/Dt
Absolute Voltage
Discharge/Charge Sequence
Battery 1 and 2 Discharge/Charge Once

Battery 1 and 2 Discharge/Charge Repeatedly
Battery 1 Discharge, Battery 2 Charge
Battery 1 Charge, Battery 2 Discharge
Battery 1 Discharge
Battery 1 Charge
Battery 1 Discharge/Charge Once
Battery 1 Discharge/Charge Repeatedly
Battery 2 Discharge
Battery 2 Charge
Battery 2 Discharge/Charge Once
Fast Charge Rate (Amperes)

Fast Charge Rate (Amperes):
Values: 0A to 2.55A.
Trickle Charge Rate (Amperes)

Trickle Charge Rate (Amperes):
Values: 0A to 0.3A.
If you are not familiar with the different battery technologies and the charge algorithms used with them,
please refer to the section Design Background.
Charging button. Also, charging is halted by selecting

Stop Charging from the Charger menu or by clicking on
the Stop Charging button.
Charger Menus
The charger application has 5 menus: File, Charger,
Charting, Window, and Help.
File Menu
The File Menu contains the following list of commands:
Open
Opens an existing data file to

graph
Print...
Print this document
Print Setup...
Setup this documents print characteristics
Window Color
Change background color of edit

window
Window Font
Change the font of edit window
Exit (Alt-F4)
Quit the Charger application
Charger Menu
The Charger Menu contains the following list of commands:
Stop Charging
Stop charging batteries
Start Charging
Start charging batteries
Charger
Configure...
Configure battery charger parameters
Options...
Set communications and graphing

options
Charting Menu
The Charting Menu contains the following list of commands:
Center On
Marker
Zoom full in centered on the

marker position
Max Zoom In
Display one data point per graph

point
Max Zoom Out
Fit all available data points on the

graph
Zoom In
Increase data point resolution
Zoom Out
Decrease data point resolution
Display
Configuration
Display configuration and graphing

parameters for data file chart
Windows Menu
The Windows Menu contains the following list of commands:
Cascade
Cascade open windows
Tile
Tile open windows vertically
Running Charger
Arrange Icons
Arrange icons on the desktop
Once the Charger application is set up and configured,

battery charging is started by selecting Start Charging
from the Charger menu, or by clicking on the Start
Close All
Close all open windows
Help Menu
At this time, there is no on-line help.
DS30451C-page 28
PICREF-2
Charger Example 1: NiCd using Delta V
To use PICREF-2 to charge a Sanyo NiCd battery pack
using the Delta V termination algorithm, configure the
charger as shown in Figure 26.
Charging can commence once PICREF-2 is configured. Clicking on the Start Charging button will bring
up the Select Battery Save File window. Determine a
name (ex: battery1.dat) and directory for the charging
information to be stored in, and then click OK.
Charging will commence with the display of the charging graph (Figure 27). End charging by clicking on the
Stop Charging Button.
Clicking on the completed graph at any point will place
a marker there. Current, voltage and temperature information will be displayed (in the top right-hand data box)
for the time offset (in the top left-hand data box) represented by the marker.
FIGURE 26:
NICD BATTERY CONFIGURATION FOR DELTA V (NEGATIVE OR ZERO)
FIGURE 27:
NICD CHARGING GRAPH FOR DELTA V (NEGATIVE OR ZERO)
MARKER
Voltage
Temp
Current
DS30451C-page 29
PICREF-2
Charger Example 2: NiCd using DeltaT/Deltat
To use PICREF-2 to charge a Sanyo NiCd battery pack
using the DeltaT / Deltat (dT / dt) termination algorithm,
configure the charger as shown in Figure 28.
a marker there. Current, voltage, and temperature information will be displayed (in the top right-hand data box)
FIGURE 28:
NICD BATTERY CONFIGURATION FOR DELTAT / DELTAt
FIGURE 29:
NICD CHARGING GRAPH FOR DELTAT / DELTAt
MARKER
Voltage
Temp
Current
DS30451C-page 30
PICREF-2
Charger Example 3: NiMH using Delta V
To use PICREF-2 to charge a NiMH battery pack using
the Delta V termination algorithm, configure the charger
as shown in Figure 30.
a marker there. Current, voltage, and temperature information will be displayed (in the top right-hand data box)
FIGURE 30:
NIMH BATTERY CONFIGURATION FOR DELTA V (NEGATIVE OR ZERO)
FIGURE 31:
NIMH CHARGING GRAPH FOR DELTA V (NEGATIVE OR ZERO)
Voltage
MARKER
Temp
Current
DS30451C-page 31
PICREF-2
Design Background
Charge Rate
An example of how to implement a battery charger

using microcontrollers has been described in the previous sections. However, if a customer wishes to change
part or all of this design, then an understanding of why
the design was developed as it was, i.e., an understanding of batteries, battery technology, and charging
methods, is essential.
Battery Technologies
A list of available battery technologies, along with manufacturers and battery specifications, are shown in
Table 9.
TABLE 9: BATTERY SPECIFICATIONS

Battery
Technology
Manufacturer
Specifications
NiCd
Sanyo
4.8V to 12.0V at 1.1Ah

to 1.7Ah Capacity
NiMH
Duracell
DR-XX: 4.8V to 12.0V

at 1.2Ah to 2.8Ah
Capacity
Lead Acid
Yuasa
NPX: 4.0V to 12.0V at

2.0Ah to 7.0Ah Capacity
Li-Ion
GS Batteries
LP9: 3.6V at 0.8Ah

Capacity (Gaphite Electrode)
Battery Packs
The battery pack will consist of the following connections:
Battery V+
Battery V Thermistor Interface
The charge rate of a battery is defined in terms of the

capacity C. For a battery capacity of 3000 mAh, a 1C
charge rate would correspond to a charge current of
3.0 amps.
Maximum Discharge Rate

Floating loads are used in applications such as emergency devices, alarm systems, or memory back-up.
These applications continually charge the battery so
that the battery provides power when primary power is
removed. Battery life is typically measured in years.
Cyclic loads are in applications such as camcorders,
portable audio equipment, portable phones, and
portable power tools. These applications use the battery as the primary power source. The battery is
depleted and recharged repeatedly. Battery life is typically measured in terms of cycles.
Charging Considerations
Excess Gas & Thermal Runaway
Recharging must be controlled so that the gasses produced do not built up to dangerous levels. Manufacturers typically compensate for this by oversizing the
negative plate. Also, heat can cause deterioration of the
separator plate which will weaken it.
As a battery cell charges, gas bubbles are released and
accumulate on the plates. This reduces the effective
area of the plate and increases cell impedance. When
the cell approaches full charge, the rate of gas generation and thermal energy increase. This causes the cell
impedance to increase, which in turn produces more
gas. This condition is called thermal runaway.
To charge lead acid, provide a charge current that is
below the gassing voltage.
Battery Pack Capacity
Memory Effect
The capacity of the battery pack is a function of the individual cells used. The cells can be standard,
rapid-charge, high-temperature, high-capacity, or super
high-capacity. Rapid charge cells have increased negative plate gas absorption characteristics which allow
charging in < 1 hour. High-temperature cells contain a
separator (typically polypropylene), which allow operating temperatures to exceed 65C. High-capacity cells
have both a high-capacity density positive plate and a
high-density paste negative plate which provides 30%+
additional capacity over a standard cell. Super
high-capacity cells contain enhanced positive and negative plate densities which provides 80%+ additional
capacity over a standard cell.
Memory effect is the formation of crystals. Periodic full

(deep) discharge is sufficient to reduce memory effect.
Therefore, it is not necessary to fully discharge a NiCd
battery each time.
Low capacity battery pack application requirements are

in the 1200 mAh range, while high capacity battery
pack application requirements are in the 3000 mAh
range. The PICREF-2 will support both battery pack
application requirements, though hardware must be
changed to support 3000 mAh.
DS30451C-page 32
Voltage Depression
A reversible drop in voltage and capacity may occur
when a sealed NiMH battery is partially discharged and
then recharged. This results in voltage depression or
the memory effect. The loss in voltage or capacity
occurs because only a portion of the active materials is
discharged and recharged during shallow or partial
charging. The active materials that have not been
cycled change in physical characteristics and increase
in resistance. The active materials can be restored to
their
original
state
by
subsequent
full
discharging-charging cycles.
Overdischarge
When a multi-cell series-connected battery is discharged, the lowest capacity cell will reach the point of
full discharge before the other cells. If discharge is con-
PICREF-2
tinued, the lower capacity cell can be driven into an
overdischarge condition through 0.0V. This will cause
its polarity to reverse.
TABLE 12:FAST CHARGE TERMINATION

ALGORITHMS.
Fast Charge
Termination
Method
This is caused by the positive electrode being

discharged and producing hydrogen gas. The gas may
be absorbed by the negative electrode with the remainder building up in the cell. If discharge continues, active
material has been depleted and oxygen is produced on
the negative electrode.
Residual
Capacity
NiCd
90%
20
80%
45
30%
NiMH
90%
20
80%
40
40%
Lead
Acid
DT/Dt
TABLE 13:FAIL-SAFE CHARGE

TERMINATION ALGORITHMS
TABLE 10:SELF DISCHARGE OVER A 30-DAY

PERIOD
Temperature
(degrees C)
NiCd
X
Zero DV
Absolute
Voltage
Self Discharge
Battery
Technology
NiMH
-DV
To minimize the possibility of polarity reversal, cells

should be matched to within 5% capacities.
Self discharge is caused by the reaction of residual

hydrogen in the cell with the positive electrode along
with the slow decomposition of both electrodes (the
decomposition is reversed on subsequent charging).
The self discharge rate increases with temperature
(Table 10).
Li-Ion
Fail-Safe
Termination
Method
Li-Ion
NiMH
NiCd
Lead
Acid
Timed Charge
Over/Under
Temperature
Over/Under
Voltage
The basic flow diagram for the charge termination algorithms is shown in Figure 12. The cell voltage and temperature is monitored until it is within safe charging
limits. The battery is then charged for an initial settling
period so that proper cell operation is ensured and false
termination signals are filtered out. Fast charge continues until the primary charge termination method has
been satisfied or a fail-safe termination condition is met.
Charge Termination Types
Fast Charge Terminations
The controller specifies the primary and fail-safe

charge termination algorithms for NiMH, NiCd, Li-Ion,
and Lead Acid. Two modes of charging are implemented: a high current fast charge mode and a low current trickle charge mode. Several fail-safe backup
mechanisms are provided to ensure that the fast
charge mode is not allowed to continue indefinitely.
Fail-safe mechanisms for trickle charge mode are also
included to allow termination of all charging if the battery voltage or temperature is out of range.
The fast charge mode is designed to allow rapid,

high-current charging of a battery pack. Although there
are many techniques available, the techniques used in
this reference design are:
Fast charging will continue until the programmed limit

for the selected principal fast charge method is reached
or exceeded. Fast charging can also terminate if any
one of the fast charge fail-safe limits are exceeded.
Trickle charge mode will always be entered after the
fast charge mode terminates, if normal termination
occurs. (Fail safe termination stops all charging.)
When a NiCd battery reaches full charge, its voltage

decreases. The -DV method makes use of this property
by terminating fast charge mode when the voltage
slope becomes negative. This method is widely used
for NiCd. However, the voltage drop for NiMH is not as
great; therefore the Zero DV method is used for NiMH.
When a NiMH battery reaches full charge, its voltage
plateaus. The Zero DV method makes use of this property by terminating fast charge mode when the voltage
slope reaches this plateau. Figure 32 shows these
characteristics.
TABLE 11:FAST CHARGE NOMENCLATURE

Text
Symbolic
Negative Delta V
Zero Delta V
Delta T / Delta t
Formula
-DV
-dV/dt
Zero DV
dV/dt = 0
DT/Dt
dT/dt
Negative Delta V (-DV) Charge Termination

Zero Delta V (Zero DV) Charge Termination
Delta T / Delta t (DT/Dt) Charge Termination
Absolute Voltage Charge Termination
-DV / Zero DV Charge Termination
DS30451C-page 33
PICREF-2
FIGURE 32:
BATTERY VOLTAGE VS. TIME

(NICD/NIMH)
FIGURE 34:
BATTERY VOLTAGE VS. TIME

(LI-ION/LEAD ACID)
Absolute Voltage
-DV
Lead Acid = 2.0V

Li Ion = 4.1V
NiCd
NiMH
Battery
Voltage
Zero DV
Time
Battery
Voltage
Time
Charge Termination
Charge Termination
Fail-Safe Charge Terminations

DT/Dt Charge Termination
The fail-safe charge termination methods are:
When a NiCd or NiMH battery reaches full charge, the

battery pack will experience a rapid rise in temperature.
This is due to an increase in the conversion of charging
energy into thermal energy. The DT/Dt method makes
use of this property by using an internal thermistor to
detect the rise in temperature. The controller measures
the battery temperature and calculates the temperature
rise rate with respect to time. It then compares this
value to the stored threshold. The controller will terminate fast-charge mode, if the measured DT/Dt rate
meets or exceeds and the stored DT/Dt rate threshold.
Figure 33 shows this characteristic.
FIGURE 33:
The over/under temperature charge termination is a

fail-safe method for terminating any charging algorithm.
Temperature limits for both over-temperature and
under-temperature are monitored. Fast charging will
not be allowed if the battery temperature exceeds the
over-temperature limit or is less than the
under-temperature limit. Fast charging will begin or
resume when the temperature falls within these limits.
BATTERY TEMPERATURE VS.

TIME (NICD/NIMH)
NiCd/
NiMH
DT/Dt
Battery
Temp
Timed Charge Termination

Over/Under Temperature Charge Termination
Over/Under Voltage Charge Termination
Trickle Charge Mode
Timed Charge Termination

The timed charge termination is a fail-safe method for
terminating any charging algorithm. If the charging
algorithm does not complete within the predefined
amount of time, the charge will terminate.
Over/Under Temperature Charge Termination
Over/Under Voltage Charge Termination
Time
Charge Termination
Absolute Voltage Charge Termination

When a Li-Ion or Lead Acid battery approaches full
charge, the battery pack voltage reaches its predefined
limit based on the technology of the cell. The absolute
voltage method makes use of this property by terminating charging when the battery voltage meets or
exceeds its limit. This should not be confused with the
fail-safe over-voltage mechanism that will terminate
charging, if a maximum voltage limit is exceeded. The
over-voltage limit is a backup mechanism for
fast-charge termination and is always enabled. The
predefined voltage limit is a primary charge termination
limit and is only active when absolute voltage charge
termination is enabled. Figure 34 shows this characteristic.
DS30451C-page 34
The over/under voltage charge termination is a fail-safe

method for terminating any charging algorithm. Voltage
limits for both over-voltage and under-voltage are
monitored. Fast charging will not be allowed if the battery voltage exceeds the over-voltage limit or is less
than the under-voltage limit. Fast charging will begin or
resume when the voltage falls within these limits.
Trickle Charge Mode

The trickle charge mode allows the battery to continue
charging and remain at or near a 100% state of charge
during periods of charge/discharge inactivity. The
amount of current provided to the battery is determined
by the duty cycle of the PWM-driven current source.
Fail-safe limits for battery over-temperature, under-temperature, over-voltage, and under-voltage can all suspend trickle mode charging.
PICREF-2
Design Modifications
Reference Material
For additional battery information, please refer to the
following books:
Handbook of Batteries 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill,
David Linden, 1995
Rechargeable Batteries Applications Handbook,
Butterworth-Heinemann, 1992
This reference design is for guidance only, and it is

anticipated that customers will make modifications.
With this in mind, this section suggests modifications
that the customer may wish to make to the design.
This design may be modified to create a single
battery charger using a PIC16C711 microcontroller (Figure 35 and Figure 36). The hardware for
this modification is supported, but the firmware
has not yet been developed.
Several circuits are optional and may be used or
not used at the users discretion. The trade-offs
are reduced cost (by using fewer circuits/components) vs. necessary performance.
FIGURE 35:
PIC16C711 PINOUT
PDIP, SOIC, Windowed CERDIP

RA2/AN2
RA4/T0CKI
MCLR/VPP
VSS
RB0/INT
RB1
RB2
7
8
RB3
PIC16C711
FIGURE 36:
RA3/AN3/VREF
18
RA1/AN1
17
RA0/AN0
16
OSC1/CLKIN
15
OSC2/CLKOUT
14
VDD
13
RB7
12
11
RB6
RB5
10
RB4
PICREF-2 INTELLIGENT BATTERY CHARGER - SINGLE BATTERY SYSTEM

Voltage
Regulator
Buck
Converter
Filter
BATTERY 1
CHARGE/
DISCHARGE
PWM
DC In
PIC16C711
RB3
LEDs
PushButtons
Jumper
Selects
RB1
RB2
RB5
RB4
Battery 1 Discharge Select
Battery 1
5V
MCLR
RB1
RB2
RA1
RB7
RA4
RA2
RA0

CURRENT/VOLTAGE
SENSE
RA2
Current Sense (A/D)

+
+
-
Current
Sense
Resistor
Voltage Reference
DS30451C-page 35
PICREF-2
NOTES:
DS30451C-page 36
PICREF-2
APPENDIX A:
SYSTEM
SPECIFICATIONS
Voltage Range: 7V to 24V DC, based on battery pack

Maximum Battery Pack Capacity: 3000 mAh @ 25C
Maximum Charge Current: 2.0A (L2 w/o L3)
1.3A (L2 with L3)
Operating Temperature: -20C to 60C
A.1
Minimum Charger System
The schematic for a minimum charger system is shown

in Appendix B. This system will only charge batteries
(no discharge). The PIC16C72 microcontroller is used
in this system, which means it functions in stand-alone
mode only. Also, voltage regulator U10 is used, and
there is no input filter.
A.2
Full Charger System
The schematics for the full charger system is shown in

Appendix C. This system includes circuits that may be
replaced by others at the designers option.
The PIC16C73A microcontroller is shown in the main
schematic. However, a PIC16C72 may be used (for
STAND-ALONE mode only) or a PIC16C711 (for
STAND-ALONE mode, single battery).
A 10 MHz crystal oscillator is shown with the
PIC16C73A in the main schematic. This may be
replaced with the XT1 (CTX163). If the PIC16C72
microcontroller is used, crystal oscillator X1 or XT2
(CTX163) may be used.
DS30451C-page 37
+5V
DS30451C-page 38
RT2
10K
C15
15PF
10.0MHZ
X1
BAT_T2
BAT_T1
976K
R27
C16
15PF
C11
0.1mF
U12C
LM6134AIM
BAT_I
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
PWM
R4
10K
C13
R6
10K
1.5K
R3
3AG-5
F1
BATT-
BAT_T1
BAT_V1
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
+5V
1
2
3
U2
G
D D 4
S
NDT454P
U10
LT1118CS8-5
OUT 1
GND 2
IN 3
3 Q1
2N2222A
1
R2
200
U6
G
D D 4
S
NDT454P
+V_FUSED
1
2
3
U17
0.1mF
PIC16C72P
MCLR
RB7
RA0/AN0
RB6
RA1/AN1
RB5
RA2/AN2
RB4
RA3/AN3/VREF
RB3
RA4/T0CKI
RB2
RA5/AN4/SS
RB1
VSS
RB0/INT
OSC1/CLKIN
VDD
OSC2/CLKOUT
VSS
RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI
RC7
RC1/T1OSI
RC6
RC2/CCP1
RC5/SDO
RC3/SCK/SCL
RC4/SDI/SDA
3 Q2
2N2222A
1
MCLR
C14
1nF
DJ005B
J1
10K
R7
CHY1
CHY2
SPARE
CHG_BAT1
PWM
BAT_V2
MCLR
BAT_I
BAT_T1
BAT_V1
BAT_T2
SW1:A
R31
4.7K
+5V
100UH
L1
10K
SW2:A
R12
C6
0.01mF
+5V
D1
30BF20
C5
10mF
J2
5
4
3
2
1
644894-5
CHG_BAT2
B1_CHG_IND
B2_CHG_IND
ERROR_IND
SW4:A
30BF20
D2
D10
330
R33
330
R35
330
R37
C1
470mF
C2
0.01mF
V_OUT
U7
1 G
2 D
D 4
3
S
NDT454P
GREEN
D5
GREEN
D7
RED
D9
330 ORANGE
R38
3 Q3
2N2222A
1
R11
10K
+5V
BATT-
BAT_T2
BAT_V2
644894-5
J3
5
4
3
2
1
APPENDIX B:
RT1
10K
R28
24.9K
10
9
B.1
RI
0.05
BATT-
PICREF-2
MINIMUM CHARGER SCHEMATIC
This schematic may be obtained electronically on the Microchip BBS and WWW sites (OrCAD, DOS v4.40).
PICREF-2 Minimum Charger Schematic - 1 of 1
PICREF-2
APPENDIX C:
FULL CHARGER SCHEMATIC
This schematic may be obtained electronically on the Microchip BBS and WWW site (OrCAD, DOS v4.40).
C.1
PICREF-2 Full Charger Schematic - 1 of 3
H2
R15
BATT-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0.05 8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
HANDSHAKE
pp 2
10K
R16
STANDALONE
10K
JMPR6
U12C
BAT_I
8
LM6134AIM
10
+5V
R27
JMPR5
+5V
976K
R28
24.9K
C11
0.1mF
SW1:A
H1
1
2
3
10k 4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
10k 12
13
14
15
16
JMPR4
R31
4.7K
+5V
MCLR
C14
1nF
C20
BAT_T1
MCLR
BAT_I
BAT_T1
BAT_V1
BAT_T2
HANDSHAKE
BAT_V2
pp 2
pp 2
BAT_T2
pp 2 pp 2
CHY1_73
CHY2_73
SPARE
CHG_BAT1
PWM
SCK
X2
10.0MHZ
C19
15pF
C18
15pF
pp 3
pp 2
pp 2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
U19
0.1mF
PIC16C73P
MCLR/VPP
RB7 28
RB6 27
RA0/AN0
RB5 26
RA1/AN1
RB4 25
RA2/AN2
RB3 24
RA3/AN3/VREF
RB2 23
RA4/T0CKI
RB1 22
RA5/SS/AN4
VSS
RB0/INT 21
VDD 20
OSC1/CLKIN
OSC2/CLKOUT
VSS 19
RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI RC7/RX/DT 18
RC1/T1OSI/CCP2
RC6/TX/CK 17
RC2/CCP1
RC5/SDO 16
RC3/SCK/SCL
RC4/SDI/SDA 15
+5V
STANDALONE
DIS_BAT2
ERROR_IND
B2_DIS_IND
B2_CHG_IND
B1_DIS_IND
B1_CHG_IND
DIS_BAT1
RECV
XMIT
CHG_BAT2
SDA
pp 2
pp 3
pp 3
pp 3
pp 3
pp 3
pp 2
pp 2
pp 2
+5V
4
2
XT1
5V OSC 3
GND NC 1
CHY1_73
CTX163
+5V
Optional Oscillator Circuit

RECV
XMIT
Optional
Voltage
Regulator
U14
VIN 1
VOUT 2
GND 3
NJM7805
U10
OUT 1
GND 2
IN 3
U18
DOUT
VCC
VDRV RXIN
NC
DIN
GND TXOUT
DS1275S
1
2
3
4
J4
+5V
LT1118CS8-5
8
7
6
5
1
6
2
7
3
8
4
9
5
DB9F
C5
10mF
C6
0.01mF
+V_FUSED
J1
pp 2
1
2
3
4
F1
3AG-5
DJ005B
PWM
R2
200
R3
1.5K
3
Q1
2N2222A
1
R4
10K
1
2
3
U1
NC D
D
S
S
D
G
D
IRF7406
L1
8
7
6
5
U2
G
D D 4
S
NDT454P
D1
30BF20
100uH
D2
30BF20
JMPR1
C1
470mF
C2
0.01mF
L3
JMPR2
JMPR3
27uH
C3
0.47mF
U3
IRF9540
V_OUT
C4
0.47mF
Optional Input Filter
DS30451C-page 39
PICREF-2
C.2

V_OUT
BAT_V1
pp 1
1
2
3
4
R6
10K
R7
CHG_BAT1
pp 1
U4
NC D
S
D
S
D
G
D
IRF7406
8
7
6
5
R5
20K
U6
1 G
2 D D 4
3 S
NDT454P
BAT_T1
BATT-
pp 1
pp 1
VSENSE_BAT1
pp 2
TB1
1
2
1
2
3
4
DIS_BAT1
pp 1
J2
5
4
3
2
1
644894-5
R9
10K
3 Q2
2N2222A
1
10K
pp 1, 2
U5
S
D
S
D
S
D
G
D
IRF7403
TBLOCK
8
7
6
5
R8
10K
BAT_V2
V_OUT
pp 1
R11
10K
R12
CHG_BAT2
pp 1
U8
NC D
S
D
S
D
G
D
IRF7406
1
2
3
4
10K
8
7
6
5
R10 pp 1
20K pp 1
U7
1 G
2 D D 4
3 S
Q3
2N2222A
R14
10K
NDT454P
1
2
3
4
J3
5
4
3
2
1
644894-5
BAT_T2
BATT-
VSENSE_BAT2
DIS_BAT2
pp 1
pp 1, 2
pp 2
U9
D
S
D
S
D
S
G
D
IRF7403
TB2
1
2
TBLOCK
8
7
6
5
R13
10K
VSENSE_BAT1 12
pp 2
13
U11D
14
R20
LM6134AIM
1K
+5V
+5V
+5V
D3
R17
C8
0.01mF
1K
3
JMPR8
JMPR7
U11A
1
LM6134AIM
11
C8
R21
0.01mF
10K
R19
3
2
U12A
1
LM6134AIM
11
1K
R18
+5V
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
U13
H1
VCC 16
NC
NC 15
L1
H0 14
W1
L0 13
A2
W0 12
A1
NC 11
A0
SDA 10
GND SCL 9
DS1803Z
+5V
VSENSE_BAT2 10
pp 2
pp 2
VSENSE_BAT1
0.47mF
1K
D4
R24
1K
10K
5
JMPR12
U11B
7
R23
LM6134AIM
1K
U12B
7
JMPR13
LM6134AIM
pp 2
JMPR11
pp 2
SDA
SCK
BAT_V2 JMPR14
VSENSE_BAT2
R22
pp 1
pp 1
C10
+5V
C12
0.01mF
BAT_V1 JMPR10
10K
C7
R25
pp 2
R26
+5V
SDA
SCK
U11C
8
LM6134AIM
JMPR9
10K
0.47mF
1
2
3
4
U15
A0 VCC
WP
A1
A2 SCL
GND SDA
24LC01B
DS30451C-page 40
8
7
6
5
R29
10K
R30
10K
SCK
SDA
12
13
U12D
14
LM6134AIM
PICREF-2
C.3
pp 1
pp 1
SPARE
SW2:A
D5
R33
B1_CHG_IND
330
SW3:A
pp 1
R34
B1_DIS_IND
330
SW4:A
pp 1
R35
B2_CHG_IND
330
SW5:A
pp 1
R36
B2_DIS_IND
GREEN
D6
YELLOW
D7
GREEN
D8
YELLOW
330
pp 1
ERROR_IND
R37
D9
330
RED
R38
D10
330
ORANGE
+5V
PIC16C72 Oscillator Options
Microcontroller Option: PIC16C72
+5V
C13
CHY1
X1
10.0MHZ
C15
15pF
+5V
4
2
XT2
5V OSC 3
GND NC 1
CTX163
0.1mF
U17
MCLR
RB7 28
RB6 27
RA0/AN0
RA1/AN1
RB5 26
RA2/AN2
RB4 25
RB3 24
RA3/AN3/VREF
RA4/T0CKI
RB2 23
RA5/AN4/SS
RB1 22
RB0/INT 21
Vss
OSC1/CLKIN
VDD 20
VSS 19
OSC2/CLKOUT
RC7 18
RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI
RC1/T1OSI
RC6 17
RC2/CCP1
RC5/SDO 16
RC3/SCK/SCL
RC4/SDI/SDA 15
PIC16C72P
CHY2
C16
15pF
CHY1
MCLR
BAT_I
BAT_T1
BAT_V1
BAT_T2
HANDSHAKE
BAT_V2
CHY1
CHY2
SPARE
CHG_BAT1
PWM
SCK
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Microcontroller Option: PIC16C711

C13
BAT_V1
SPARE
HANDSHAKE
MCLR
SCK
B1_CHG_IND
B1_DIS_IND
CHG_BAT1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0.1mF
U16
RA1/AN1 18
RA2/AN2
RA3/AN3/VREF RA0/AN0 17
RA4/T0CKI OSC1/CLKIN 16
MCLR
OSC2/CLKOUT 15
Vss
VDD 14
RB0/INT
RB7 13
RB1
RB6 12
RB2
RB5 11
RB3
RB4 10
PIC16C711P
STANDALONE
DIS_BAT2
ERROR_IND
B2_DIS_IND
B2_CHG_IND
B1_DIS_IND
B1_CHG_IND
DIS_BAT1
RECV
XMIT
CHG_BAT2
SDA
+5V
BAT_T1
BAT_I
CHY1
CHY2
PWM
SDA
ERROR_IND
DIS_BAT1
DS30451C-page 41
PICREF-2
APPENDIX D: FIRMWARE LISTING
PIC16C7X firmware source code listings may be
obtained electronically on the Microchip BBS and
WWW site. Source code is written is C and may be
compiled using MPLAB-C.
Source code files:
battery.h
control.c
command.c
init.c
library.c
sense.c
main.c
DS30451C-page 42
PICREF-2
APPENDIX E: PICREF-2 TO PC
PROTOCOL
This section describes the communications protocol
used between the PICREF-2 Intelligent Battery
Charger (IBC) and a Host PC. The physical and data
link layers of this interface are provided by an RS-232
serial link. This protocol forms the transport layer; i.e.,
provides the mechanism for transporting control and
data between the PICREF-2 and the Host PC.
The protocol consists of a message format, a set of
commands, and data field definitions for each command. It is a master-slave protocol, meaning that the
Host PC controls the flow of information between the
two units (i.e., the PICREF-2 only sends data in
response to a request from the Host PC). The Host PC
can send commands or configuration data to the
PICREF-2 or it can ask for status to be sent back to the
Host PC by the PICREF-2. All communications over the
RS-232 link are done at a 9600 baud rate, eight bits,
one stop bit, no parity, using binary data (vs.
ASCII-based text data).
E.1
Message Format
The message format for communications from the PC

to the PICREF-2 is defined as follows:
<command> <data1> <data2>
<dataN> <checksum>
where <command> represents a command byte,
<data#> represents one or more data bytes associated
with the command byte, and <checksum> represents
an 8-bit checksum. The checksum is determined by
summing all bytes of the message (command and all
data bytes), truncating all but the lower eight bits of the
summation, and then inverting (one's complement) the
byte.
Data sent from the PICREF-2 to the PC follows the
same format as shown above, with the exception that
there is no command byte at the start of the message.
There is only one data set definition for the PICREF-2,
so a header byte is not needed to distinguish between
data sets.
E.2
Handshaking
To prevent from having to use interrupts on the

PICREF-2, a handshake is built into the protocol by
having each byte received by the PICREF-2 from the
Host PC being echoed back to the Host PC after reception. The Host PC has an eventual (one second)
time-out, after which time it assumes the last character
sent was not received. In this case, the character will be
resent. The character will also be resent if the echoed
character does not match the character sent by the
Host PC. Note that the Host PC does NOT echo
received characters back to the PICREF-2; i.e., the
handshake is only one-way.
DS30451C-page 43
PICREF-2
E.3
Command & Data Field Definitions
E.3.1
This command sends the System (byte 1) and Charge

Enable (byte 2) bytes, respectively, which override the
current settings and initiate an action (e.g., charge or
discharge). This command also has the effect of resetting the battery error byte and the battery charging
algorithm. Data field definitions are shown as follows:
The commands defined for communication from the

Host PC to the PICREF-2 are as follows:
SYSTEM ENABLE COMMAND (04h)
System enable
Configure
Send data
Send configuration
Message Format
PC Host:
04h
System Enable Byte
Charge Enable Byte
Checksum
Byte 1: System Enable Byte (charge/discharge sequence)

Battery Charge/Discharge Mode
Battery Chemistry
bit7
bit0
bit 7-4: Battery Charge/Discharge Mode

0000 = Idle Mode
0001 = Special Mode - Discharge B1/Charge B2 (not supported in prototype)
0010 = Special Mode - Charge B1/Discharge B2 (not supported in prototype)
0011 = Battery 1 & 2 Discharge/Charge ONCE Mode
0100 = Reserved
0101 = Battery 1 Discharge Mode
0110 = Battery 1 Charge Mode
0111 = Battery 1 Discharge/Charge Mode
1000 = Reserved
1100 = Reserved
1101 = Battery 1 & 2 Discharge Mode
1110 = Battery 1 & 2 Charge Mode
1111 = Battery 1 & 2 Discharge/Charge REPEAT Mode
bit 3:
Reserved
bit 2-1: Battery Chemistry (assumes battery 1 and 2 are of the same type)
00 = NiCd enabled
01 = NiMH enabled
10 = Lead Acid enabled
11 = Li-Ion enabled (Provisional)
bit 0:
Reserved
DS30451C-page 44
PICREF-2
Byte 2: Charge Enable Byte
Charge Algorithm
Charge Term. Algorithm
bit7
bit0
bit 7-6: Charge Algorithm

00 = Reserved
01 = Fast Charge Algorithm
10 = Trickle Charge Algorithm
11 = TBD
bit 5-4: Charge Termination Algorithm
00 = None Enabled (except Fail Safe is always enabled)
01 = Delta-V (Zero Delta-V or Negative Delta-V)
10 = Delta-T/Delta-t
11 = Absolute Voltage
bit 3-0: Reserved
DS30451C-page 45
PICREF-2
E.3.2
CONFIGURE COMMAND (2Ah)
This command sends configuration data to the

PICREF-2. This command is used to pass
device-specific parameterization input from the PC to
the PICREF-2. This information will overwrite previous
settings, but this command does not initiate any new
activity. If a charge or discharge is in progress when a
Configure command is received, the current activity will

be stopped (i.e., device parameters should not be
changed mid-way through a charge or discharge).
Data field definitions are defined as follows: (Note: If
two batteries are present, it is assumed that both are
started at the same time and use the same parameters).
Message Format
PC Host:
2Ah
Temp_Lo
Temp_Hi
Max_Voltage
Max_Voltage
Checksum
Byte 1: TEMP_LO
Minimum low temperature in degrees C for Fast Charge/discharge mode, represented as an 8-bit signed binary value
with 0.5 degrees C/bit (range: -64C [80h] to +63.5C [7Fh]).
Byte 2: TEMP_HI
Maximum high temperature in degrees C for Fast Charge/discharge mode, represented as an 8-bit signed binary value
Byte 3: MAX_VOLTAGE
Overall maximum voltage in any charge mode (for Fail-Safe termination) for all battery cells, represented as an 8-bit
unsigned binary value with each bit representing 58.5mV (range: 0 to 14.91V).
Byte 4: MIN_VOLTAGE
Overall minimum voltage in any discharge mode (for Fail Safe termination) for all battery cells, represented as an 8-bit
unsigned binary value with each bit representing 58.5mV (range: 0 to 14.91V).
Byte 5: TRICKLE_TEMP_LO
Minimum low temperature in degrees C for maintenance charge mode, represented as an 8-bit signed binary value with
0.5 degrees C/bit (range: -64C [80h] to +63.5C [7Fh]).
Byte 6: TRICKLE_TEMP_HI
Maximum high temperature in degrees C for maintenance charge mode, represented as an 8-bit signed binary value
Byte 7: ABS_VOLT_HIGH
Lead acid maximum voltage in charge mode, represented as an 8-bit unsigned binary value with each bit representing
58.5mV (range: 0 to 14.91V).
Byte 8: MAX_TIME_LIMIT_LB
Low byte of maximum allowable time, in seconds, during any charge mode for Fail-Safe charge termination, represented
as a 16-bit unsigned binary value (range: 0 to 65,536 seconds, or about 18.2 hours).
Byte 9: MAX_TIME_LIMIT_HB
High byte of maximum allowable time, in seconds, during any charge mode for Fail-Safe charge termination, represented
as a 16-bit unsigned binary value (range: 0 to 65,536 seconds, or about 18.2 hours).
Byte 10: FAST_CHARGE_RATE
The current, in mA, at which the battery can be charged in Fast Charge mode. Expressed as an 8-bit unsigned binary
value with each bit representing 10 mA (range: 0 to 2.55A).
Byte 11: TRICKLE_CHARGE_RATE
The current, in mA, at which the battery can be charged in Trickle Charge mode. Expressed as an 8-bit unsigned binary
value with each bit representing 10 mA (range: 0 to 2.55A).
Byte 12: SPARE
Reserved.
DS30451C-page 46
PICREF-2
Byte 13: DISCHARGE_VOLTAGE
The voltage, in V, at which the discharge of the battery will stop, represented as an 8-bit unsigned binary value with each
bit representing 58.5mV (range: 0 to 14.91V).
Byte 14: DELTAV_THRESH_SIGNED
The -DV charge termination threshold, in Volts, used for the battery to be charged. Expressed as an 8-bit signed binary
value, with each bit representing 5.85mV (range: -750 to +744 mV).
Byte 15: DELTAT_DELTAt_THRESH
The DT/Dt charge termination threshold, in degrees C per minute. Expressed as an 8-bit signed binary value, with each
bit representing 0.5 degrees C/min (range: 0 to 127.5 C/min).
DS30451C-page 47
PICREF-2
E.3.3
SEND DATA COMMAND (15h)
This command requests the PICREF-2 to send the

real-time data set, which are typically requested at a
periodic rate of 1 second to update the Host PC's
screen. This command consists of only the
15h command byte and the checksum (EAh). The data
which is returned to the PC from the PICREF-2 in

response to a Send Data command is defined as follows:
Message Format
PC Host:
15h
EAh
PICREF-2 Response:
B1_Volts
B1_Temp
B1_Current
B2_Volts
Checksum
Byte 1: B1_Volts
Battery 1 Voltage, represented as an 8-bit unsigned binary value with each bit representing 58.5 mV (
range: 0V to 14.91V).
Byte 2: B1_Temp
Battery 1 Temperature in degrees C, an 8-bit signed binary value with 0.5 degrees C/bit
(range: -64C [80h] to +63.5C [7Fh]).
Byte 3: B1_Current
Measured Battery 1 Charge Current, in mA, an 8-bit unsigned binary value with each bit representing 10 mA
(range: 0V to 2.55A).
Byte 4: B2_Volts
Battery 2 Voltage, represented as an 8-bit unsigned binary value with each bit representing 58.5 mV
(range: 0V to 14.91V).
Byte 5: B2_Temp
Battery 2 Temperature in degrees C, an 8-bit signed binary value with 0.5 degrees C
(range: -64C [80h] to +63.5C [7Fh]).
Byte 6: B2_Current
Measured Battery 2 Charge Current, in mA, an 8-bit unsigned binary value with each bit representing 10 mA
(range: 0A to 2.55A).
DS30451C-page 48
PICREF-2
Byte 7: System Status
Battery Chemistry
Battery Charge/Discharge Mode

bit7
bit0
bit 7-4: Battery Charge/Discharge Mode

0000 = Idle Mode
0001 = Reserved
0010 = Reserved
0011 = Battery 1 & 2 Discharge/Charge ONCE Mode
0100 = Reserved
1000 = Battery 1 Discharge/Charge REPEAT Mode
1100 = Battery 2 Discharge/Charge REPEAT Mode
1101 = Battery 1 & 2 Discharge Mode
1110 = Battery 1 & 2 Charge Mode
1111 = Battery 1 & 2 Discharge/Charge REPEAT Mode
bit 3:
Reserved
bit 2-1: Battery Chemistry (assumes battery 1 and 2 are of the same type)
00 = NiCd enabled
01 = NiMH enabled
10 = Lead Acid enabled
11 = Li-Ion enabled (Provisional)
bit 0:
Reserved
Byte 8: Charge Status
Charge Algorithm
Charge Term. Algorithm
Battery 2 Charge Status
bit7
Battery 1 Charge Status

bit0
bit 7-6: Charge Algorithm

00 = Reserved
01 = Fast Charge Algorithm
10 = Trickle Charge
11 = TBD
bit 5-4: Charge Termination Algorithm
00 = None Enabled (except Fail Safe is always enabled)
01 = Delta V (Zero Delta V or Negative Delta V)
10 = Delta T/Delta t
11 = Absolute Voltage
bit 3-2: Battery 2 Present Charge Status
00 = Idle
01 = Fast Charging
10 = Trickle Charging
11 = Discharging
bit 1-0: Battery 1 Present Charge Status
00 = Idle
01 = Fast Charging
10 = Trickle Charging
11 = Discharging
DS30451C-page 49
PICREF-2
Byte 9: Battery 1 Error Status
OVE
UVE
OTE
bit7
bit 7:
UTE
TOE
CKE
SE
NB
bit0
Overvoltage Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 6:
Undervoltage Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 5:
Overtemperature Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 4:
Undertemperature Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 3:
Time-out Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 2:
Checksum Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 1:
Selftest Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 0:
No Battery Detected
1 = No battery detected
0 = Battery detected
DS30451C-page 50
Note: This field is cleared by either a CONFIGURE

or a SYSTEM ENABLE command.
PICREF-2
Byte 10: Battery 2 Error Status
OVE
UVE
OTE
bit7
bit 7:
UTE
TOE
CKE
SE
NB
bit0
Overvoltage Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 6:
Undervoltage Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 5:
Overtemperature Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 4:
Undertemperature Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 3:
Time-out Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 2:
Checksum Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 1:
Selftest Error
1 = Error
0 = No error
bit 0:
No Battery Detected
1 = No battery detected
0 = Battery detected
Note: This field is cleared by either a CONFIGURE

or a SYSTEM ENABLE command.
Byte 11: Battery 1 Measured DV Signed

Battery 1 measured DV, in Volts, a running average of the voltage difference between the present and last sample.
Expressed as an 8-bit signed binary value, with each bit representing 5.85 mV (range: -750 mV to +744 mV).
Byte 12: Battery 1 Measured DT/Dt Rate
Battery 1 measured Delta T/Delta t rate, in degrees C per minute, a running average of the change in temperature over
time, with each bit representing 0.5 C/min (range: 0 C/min to 127.5 C/min).
Byte 13: Battery 2 Measured DV Signed
Battery 2 measured -DV, in Volts, a running average of the voltage difference between the present and last sample.
Expressed as an 8-bit signed binary value, with each bit representing 5.85 mV (range: -750 mV to +744 mV).
Byte 14: Battery 2 Measured DT/Dt Rate
Battery 2 measured DT/Dt rate, in degrees C per minute, a running average of the change in temperature over time, with
each bit representing 0.5 C/min (range: 0 C/min to 127.5 C/min).
DS30451C-page 51
PICREF-2
E.3.4
SEND CONFIGURATION COMMAND (3Ch)
This command requests the PICREF-2 to send the configuration data set to the Host PC. These are the same
configuration fields sent via the Configure Command.
Data field definitions are defined to be the same as for
the Configure Command.
Message Format
PC Host:
3Ch
C3h
PICREF-2 Response:
Temp_Lo
E.3.5
Temp_Hi
Max_Voltage
Max_Voltage
Checksum
RESET COMMAND (55h)
This command causes a software reset of the processor controlling the charging and discharging of the battery, known as the Battery Controller. This command
will stop any ongoing activity in terms of charge/discharge.
Message Format
PC Host:
55h
E.4
AAh
PC DATA FILE FORMAT
The structures in Example E-1 define how the battery

charger data is organized. The data resolution is called
out in the preceding documentation as well as the firmware.
The data file saved during a charge session is a binary
file which is a dump of the charge information and data
received for a charge session for a single battery.
The order of the information is as follows:

a)
b)
c)
d)
sizeof(int) Battery number that was charged

(1 or 2).
sizeof(gOptionSettings) The option settings
for the session.
sizeof(gConfigSettings) The
configuration
settings for the session.
sizeof(TBatFileDataStruct) Each
sample
taken.
Once the configuration is read to determine the

attributes to apply to the TBatFileDataStruct, (i.e., need
to know sample frequency form gOptionSeettings).
Each data point can be successively read from the file
(TBatFileDataStruct).
DS30451C-page 52
PICREF-2
EXAMPLE E-1:
CODE STRUCTURE
// This structure contains one data interval saved to disk.

struct TBatFileDataStruct
{
uint8 ui8Voltage;
int8
i8Temperature;
uint8 ui8MeasuredChargeCurrent;
uint8 ui8SystemStatus;
uint8 ui8ChargeStatus;
uint8 ui8ErrorStatus;
int8
i8DeltaV;
int8
i8DeltaT;
};
// This class contains the option settings chosen for the charge session. These determine
// the graphing characteristics and graphing support routines.
class TOptionSettings
{
public:
char szComPort[10];
int iDisplayUpdateFrequency;
int iMaxGraphCurrentRange;
int iMaxGraphVoltageRange;
int iMaxGraphTempRange;
int iMinGraphCurrentRange;
int iMinGraphVoltageRange;
int iMinGraphTempRange;
int iTimeDisplayed;
int iMaxY;
int iMinY;
inline
inline
inline
inline
inline
inline
float
float
float
float
float
float
NormalizeCurrent(float fCurrent);
NormalizeVoltage(float fVoltage);
NormalizeTemp(float fTemp);
UnNormalizeCurrent(float fCurrent);
UnNormalizeVoltage(float fVoltage);
UnNormalizeTemp(float fTemp);
};
// This stucture contains the configuration settings chosen for the charge session.
struct TConfigSettings
{
int iChargeAlgorithm;
int iChargeDischargeSequence;
int iTerminationAlgorithm;
int iChemistry;
float
float
int
int
int
int
uint16
float
float
float
float
int
float
int
float
float
fChargeVoltageMax;
fChargeVoltageMin;
iFastChargeTempMax;
iFastChargeTempMin;
iTrickleTempMax;
iTrickleTempMin;
ui16MaxChargeTime;
fMaxVoltage;
fDischargeRate;
fDischargeVoltage;
fDTDtThreshold;
iDvThreshold;
fFastChargeAmps;
iSpare;
fTrickleChargeAmps;
fReserved;
};
DS30451C-page 53
PICREF-2
NOTES:
DS30451C-page 54
PICREF-2
APPENDIX F: PCB LAYOUT & FAB
DRAWING
The top silk screen drawing for the battery charger is
shown below. The board dimensions listed are, with
respect to the orientation of this page, horizontal
dimension x vertical dimension.
FIGURE F-1:
INTELLIGENT BATTERY CHARGER LAYOUT
(7 x 4.25)
DS30451C-page 55
PICREF-2
APPENDIX G: BILL OF MATERIALS (BOM)
TABLE G-1:
BOM FOR PICREF-2
Line # Qty
1
2
1
1
Part Description
03-01422
SCHEMATIC, BCC CARD
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
PCB FABRICATION, BCC
N/A
N/A
DM003002
N/A
04-01422
Manufacturer
Vendor
Vendor Part #
Reference
Designator
Part #
CARD
3
DJ005B
CONN, POWER
LZR
(301) 921-4600
JIT
RL30B
J1
644894-5
CONNECTOR, 5PIN, BAT-
AMP
(717) 564-0100
(800) 522-6752*
NEWARK
644894-5
J2,J3
SPC TECH
(773) 907-5193
NEWARK
89N1583
J4
TERY
5
DE9S-FRS
CONN, PCB, RT ANGL, 9

CONTACT SOCKET
B3S-1002
SWITCH, MOMENT, SMT
OMRON
(847) 843-7900
(800) 55OMRON*
DIGIKEY
SW416-ND
SW1,SW2,SW3,
SW4,SW5
99426
TBLOCK
JAMECO
(415) 592-8097
(800) 831-4242*
NEWARK
99426
TB1,TB2
37330
HEADER, 16 PIN DIP
JAMECO
(415) 592-8097
(800) 831-4242*
NEWARK
37330
H1,H2
PZC36SAFN
HEADER, 0.025
SULLINS
(619) 744-0125
DIGIKEY
S1061-36-ND
JMPR HEADERS
10
14
SULLINS
JUMPER
SULLINS
(619) 744-0125
DIGIKEY
S9002-ND
JMPR1-14
11
ECA-1HFQ471
CAP, 470UF, ALUM ELEC,
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P5772-ND
C1
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
PCC103BCT-ND
C2,C6,C8,C9,C12
SPRAGUE
(516) 334-8700
NEWARK
95F9802
C5
RADIAL
12
13
14
87222
CAP, 0.47UF, SMT, 1206
JAMECO
(415) 592-8097
(800) 831-4242*
NEWARK
87222
C7,C10
15
ECU-V1H102JCH
CAP, 1000PF, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
PCC102CCT-ND
C14
16
ECU-V1H150JCM
CAP, 15PF, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
PCC150CCT-ND
C15,C16,C18,C19
17
ECU-V1H104KBW
CAP, 0.1UF, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
PCC104BCT-ND
C11,C13,C17,C20
18
WK0003-ND
FUSE, 3AG-5
WICKMAN
(404) 699-7820
(800) 553-7894*
DIGIKEY
WK0003-ND
F1
19
RC-10
ROD CORE, HI CUR,
MAGNETEK
(219) 297-3111
DIGIKEY
10606-ND
L1
INTL RECT
(310) 322-3331
FAI
30BF20
D1,D2
ECU-V1H103KBM
CAP, 0.01UF, SMT, 1206
195D106X9035D2T CAP, TANT CHIP, 10UF, 35V
100 UH
20
30BF20
DIODE, FAST RECOVERY

200V
21
LT1120CT-ND
LED, SMT, GREEN
LITE-ON
(408) 946-4873
DIGIKEY
LT1120CT-ND
D5,D7
22
LT1122CT-ND
LED, SMT, YELLOW
LITE-ON
(408) 946-4873
DIGIKEY
LT1122CT-ND
D6,D8
23
LT1123CT-ND
LED, SMT, RED
LITE-ON
(408) 946-4873
DIGIKEY
LT1123CT-ND
D9
24
LT1119CT-ND
LED, SMT, ORANGE
LITE-ON
(408) 946-4873
DIGIKEY
LT1119CT-ND
D10
* 800 numbers are valid in the USA only.
DS30451C-page 56
PICREF-2
TABLE G-1:
Line # Qty
BOM FOR PICREF-2 (CONTINUED)

Part #
Part Description
Manufacturer
Vendor
Vendor Part #
Reference
Designator
25
ERJ-1WYI201
RES, 200, SMT, 2512
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P200XCT-ND
R2
26
ERJ-8ENF1.00K
RES, 1K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P1.00KFCT-ND
R19,R20,R23
27
ERJ-8ENF1.50K
RES, 1.5K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P1.50KFCT-ND
R3
28
17
ERJ-8ENF10.0K
RES, 10K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P10.0KFCT-ND
R4,R6,R7,R8,R9,R11,
R12,R13,R14,R15,
R16,R1,R21,R22,
R26,R29,R30
29
ERJ-8ENF20.0K
RES, 20K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P20.0KFCT-ND
R5,R10
30
ERJ-8ENF976K
RES, 976K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P976KFCT-ND
R27
31
ERJ-8ENF24.9K
RES, 24.9K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P24.9KFCT-ND
R28
32
ERJ-8ENF4.75K
RES, 4.75K, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P4.75KFCT-ND
R31
33
ERJ-8ENF332
RES, 332, SMT, 1206
PANASONIC
(714) 373-7366
DIGIKEY
P332FCT-ND
R33,R34,R35,R36,
R37,R38
34
SFB270
INDUCTOR, 27UH
WILCO
(317) 293-9300
(800) 611-2343*
WILCO
SFB270
L3 (PROVISIONAL)
35
IRF7406
SO-8
INTL RECT
(310) 322-3331
NEWARK
IRF7406
U1,U4,U8
(PROVISIONAL)
36
NDT456P
MOSFET, P CHAN, SOT-223
NAT SEMI
(408) 712-5800
(800) 272-9959*
DIGIKEY
NDT456PCT-ND
U2,U6,U7
37
IRF9540
HEXFET, P-CH, TO-220AB
INTL RECT
(301) 322-3331
FAI
IRF9540
U3 (PROVISIONAL)
38
IRF7403
SO-8
INTL RECT
(301) 322-3331
NEWARK
IRF7403
U5,U9
39
LT1118CST-5
IC, 5V REG, 800MA, SOT-
LINEAR TECH
(408) 432-1900
DIGIKEY
LT1118CST-5-ND
U10
223
40
LM6134AIM
QUAD OP AMP, SO-14
NAT SEMI
(408) 712-5800
(800) 272-9959*
DIGIKEY
LM6134AIM-ND
U11,U12
41
DS1803Z-100K
IC, DUAL EEPROM POT,
DALLAS
(214) 450-0400
NEWARK
DS1803Z-100K/10K
U13
SO-16
42
NJM7805
IC, 5V RES
NJR CORP.
(415) 961-3901
DIGIKEY
NJM78MOSFA-MD
U14
43
24LC65
IC, SERIAL EEPROM, SO-8
MICROCHIP
(602) 786-7200
MICROCHIP
24LC65/SO
U15
44
PIC16C711
IC, MICROCONTROLLER,
MICROCHIP
(602) 786-7200
MICROCHIP
PIC16C711-20
U16 (PROVISIONAL)
18 PIN
45
110-99-318-41-001
SOCKET, 18 PIN
MILL-MAX
(516) 922-6000
(888) 922-6544
DIGIKEY
ED3118-ND
U16a
46
PIC16C72
MICROCHIP
(602) 786-7200
MICROCHIP
PIC16C72-20
U17
MILL-MAX
(516) 922-6000
(888) 922-6544
DIGIKEY
ED3128-ND
U17a, U19a
28 PIN
47
110-99-328-41-001
SOCKET, 28 PIN
DS30451C-page 57
PICREF-2
TABLE G-1:
BOM FOR PICREF-2 (CONTINUED)

Part #
Part Description
Manufacturer
Vendor
Vendor Part #
Reference
Designator
PIC16C73
MICROCHIP
(602) 786-7200
MICROCHIP
PIC16C73-20
U19
Line # Qty
48
28 PIN
49
DS275S
IC, RS232 TRANS, SO-8
DALLAS
(214) 450-0400
NEWARK
DS275S
U18
50
ECS-100-S-4
10.0MHz QUARTZ CRYS-
ECS
(913) 782-7787
(800) 237-1041*
DIGIKEY
X422-ND
X1,X2
NAT SEMI
(408) 712-5800
(800) 272-9959*
DIGIKEY
2N2222A-ND
Q1,Q2,Q3
TAL
51
2N2222A
TRANS, NPN, T0-18
DS30451C-page 58
PICREF-2
APPENDIX H: BATTERY CHARGER
DEMONSTRATION
UNIT
A limited number of battery charger demonstration
units are available for customer evaluation. To obtain a
demonstration unit, contact any Microchip sales office.
For a more detailed description of the demonstration
circuits, see Hardware Overview.
Microcontrollers
For discharge mode, the I/O drives an N-channel FET,

connecting the load at TB1/TB2 to ground. This line is
set in software to be either ON or OFF, but the end user
may pulse the line to simulate various discharge
modes.
Voltage Sense
Voltage Sense has 3 modes: windowed, fixed, and
direct, which may be selected by jumpers (see Hardware Overview - Jumpers).
Note:
D3, D4, R17, and R24 provide the voltage

reference for fixed mode. In this mode,
U13 may be removed.
Note:
The battery voltage is divided by resistors

R5, R9, R10 and R14. If a smaller dynamic
range than 0V to 15V is required, these
resistor values can be changed to increase
direct mode resolution.
A PIC16C72 or a PIC16C73A can be inserted in either

28-pin socket (U17 or U19).
Voltage Regulator
The +5 Vdc voltage regulator LT1118CS8-5 (U10) may
be replaced by U14 (NJM7805).
Note:
U10 and U14 are +5V regulators. U14 may

be populated in place of U10 at the
designers option.
Buck Converter
The PWM output from the microcontroller drives an
NPN transistor (Q1) which biases the P-channel FET
(U2). So when the PWM output is high, Q1 conducts,
providing the gate-source voltage to turn on the
P-channel FET. This allows current to flow through to
inductor L1. Diode D2 is used to isolate the buck converter output from the battery voltage. Capacitor C1 is
used in conjunction with L1 as a filter for the output of
the buck converter and capacitor C2 is used to filter
high frequency.
Note:
U1, U2, and U3 are p-channel FETs for the

buck converter. U1 or U3 may be populated
in place of U2 at the designers option. L2
may be populated in place of L1 at the
designers option.
Filter
The filter circuit is intended to provide additional ripple
suppression at the buck converter output stage.
Note:
L3, C3, and C4 provide additional ripple filtering on the output of the buck converter.
They may be populated at the designers
option.
Battery 1 & Battery 2 Charge/Discharge

The PIC16C7X controls the charge and discharge of
both battery 1 and battery 2 through the I/O lines.
For charge mode, the I/O line drives an NPN transistor
to bias a P-Channel FET in the same fashion that the
PWM drives the buck converter.
Note:
U4, U6, U7, and U8 are p-channel FETs

used to select the battery to be charged.
U4 and U8 may be populated at the
designers option.
Current Sense
The current sense circuitry works by amplifying and
converting the current through a 0.05 ohm resistor into
a voltage.
Note:
The current sense resistor in H2 may be

replaced at the designers option to give
either more range or more resolution.
Temperature Sense
The temperature sense is accomplished through a simple 10K pull-up resistor.
Note:
The temperature sense resistors in H1

may be replaced at the designers option
based on the designers battery pack thermistor value.
Battery Pack
The KR-1100AEL is a Fast Charge Battery Cell that
can be charged at up to a 1600 mA rate in less than
1 hour. It can be discharged at up to an 8C rate in < 6
minutes (1C discharge takes 60 minutes).
Note:
Refer to the manufacturers specifications

before charging any battery pack.
Note:
Improper disposal of NiCd batteries poses

an environmental hazard. Contact a local
battery collection center for recycling information.
LEDs, Pushbuttons, and Jumpers

LEDs (D5-D10) are provided are indicator lights. Pushbuttons (SW1-SW5) and Jumpers (JMPR1-JMPR14)
are provided for charger control. For more detailed
functional descriptions, see the respective sections
under Hardware Overview.
DS30451C-page 59
PICREF-2
H.1
Demonstration Specifications
H.2
Maximum Charge Current:
A PICREF-2 Intelligent Battery Charger demonstration

board photo is shown in Figure H-1.
The maximum charging current is limited by the following components:

L3
1.3A (Provisional)
L1
2.0A
D1,D2
3.0A
Demonstration Unit Assembly
The demonstration board comes as part of a kit that

includes two disks (PIC16C7X source code and PC
development software), a power supply and a sample
battery pack (Figure H-2).
L3 may be bypassed to increase the charging current

to 2.0A. Also, L1 may be replaced by a higher current
inductor to increase the charging current to 3.0A.
Maximum Input Voltage: 24 Volts DC
Supported Battery Technologies: NiCd,
NiMH,
Lead Acid
Li-Ion
FIGURE H-1:
PICREF-2 DEMONSTRATION BOARD

JMPR1-3
Buck Converter
Input
Power
Filter
JMPR7-14
JMPR4(GND)
Current/Volt
Sense
Batt 1 Charge/
Discharge
PIC16C711
Current Sense
Resistor
RS-232
PIC16C73A
Stand-alone
PIC16C72
Temp Sense
Resistors
Batt 2 Charge/
Discharge
Reset
JMPR5-6
LEDs
Pushbuttons
DS30451C-page 60
PICREF-2
FIGURE H-2:
PICREF-2 DEMONSTRATION KIT
2 Disks
Battery Pack
Power Supply
Demonstration Board
H.3
How to Demonstrate the PICREF-2 in

Development Mode
The demonstration board should be hooked up as

shown in Figure H-3.
FIGURE H-3:
Plug in power supply (13.6V, 1.9A)

Plug in battery pack
Connect demonstration board to PC (RS-232)
Run PC Software (See PICREF-2 to PC Software
Overview)
Run simple charge/discharge cycle
PICREF-2 SETUP - DEVELOPMENT MODE
Power Supply
Demonstration Board
To PC
Battery Pack
RS-232
PIC16C73A
DS30451C-page 61
PICREF-2
H.4
How to Demonstrate the PICREF-2 in

Stand-Alone Mode
The demonstration board should be hooked up as

shown in Figure H-4.
Plug in power supply (13.6V, 1.9A)
Plug in battery pack
Use pushbuttons to charge/discharge (See Hardware Overview - Pushbuttons)
FIGURE H-4:
PICREF-2 SETUP - STAND-ALONE MODE

Power Supply
Demonstration Board
PIC16C72
DS30451C-page 62
Battery Pack
PICREF-2
NOTES:
DS30451C-page 63
PICREF-2
DS30451C-page 64
M
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DS30451C-page 65

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Intelligent Battery Charger Reference Design

Typically, simple battery chargers do not provide the

The Microchip Technology PICREF-2 Intelligent Battery

In addition to intelligent control, the microcontroller can

With the PICREF-2 Reference Design, the user will be

Pick the required battery management features

The hardware design contains the necessary circuitry

PICREF-2 Key Features

Compatibility Across Battery Technologies

1997 Microchip Technology Inc.

Project Lead Engineer:

Duracell is a registered trademark of Duracell.

Reference Design Documentation:

1997 Microchip Technology Inc.

The PICREF-2 system block diagram is shown in

The A/D functions are implemented using the on-board

PICREF-2 INTELLIGENT BATTERY CHARGER (IBC) BLOCK DIAGRAM

Battery 1 Charge Select

Battery 1 Temperature (A/D)

Battery 2 Charge Select

Battery 2 Discharge Select

Battery 2 Temperature (A/D)

Current Sense (A/D)

Battery 1 Voltage (A/D)

Battery 2 Voltage (A/D)

1997 Microchip Technology Inc.

This section describes the PICREF-2 hardware and

The input voltage (+V_FUSED) is used by the voltage

U10 and U14 are +5V regulators. U14 may

Buck (Step-Down) Converter

The most critical parameter in charging batteries is the

The power source for this design is a buck converter. A

SDIP, SOIC, Windowed Side Brazed Ceramic

SDIP, SOIC, Windowed Side Brazed Ceramic

= Input PWM from microcontroller

Buck Converter Basics

1997 Microchip Technology Inc.

For VD, Vi, Vsat, and T constant, increasing or

The converter in this reference design is controlled

The output capacitance is chosen such that:

BUCK CONVERTER OUTPUT

For a given input voltage and output voltage, the

Buck Converter Detail

The relationship between PWM output and the output

= Maximum output current

= Output voltage ripple

To minimize ripple, choose a large value, low ESR

From this equation, a relationship between PWM (ton)

1997 Microchip Technology Inc.

The microcontroller also monitors the current source

The PIC16C7XX powers up in an idle state. If a battery

PWM on time (ton), is calculated as:

The microcontroller displays the status of the battery on

Processor clock (fosc) = 4 MHz

= Tosc * 127 = 31.75 ms

U1, U2, and U3 are p-channel FETs for the

U4, U6, U7, and U8 are p-channel FETs

The PIC16C7XX performs battery voltage readings

Battery 1 and Battery 2 Charge/Discharge

1997 Microchip Technology Inc.

JMPR9-1 to JMPR10-1 (Battery 1)

If the battery voltage is known, the digital potentiometer